Long-stay travel, in which travelers experience daily life by residing locally for an extended period rather than simply touring tourist attractions, is emerging as a new travel trend. Among foreign tourists visiting Korea, demand for "month-long stays" is also rising rapidly. Industry observers attribute the trend to growing interest in Korean daily life through K-content such as dramas, variety shows, and YouTube.
According to inbound tourism platform Creatrip on Wednesday, transaction value for "month-long stay" products from January 1 to May 10 this year increased approximately 272% compared with the same period last year. Demand is rapidly expanding for stay-type content that combines lodging, language education, and cultural experiences, going beyond simple tourism products.
By nationality, Taiwanese tourists led the market, accounting for approximately 60% of total bookings. Bookings by Taiwanese tourists rose 172% year-on-year, recording the steepest growth. Hong Kong tourists remained a major demand segment for the second consecutive year, while Japanese tourists also newly entered the market, accounting for approximately 10% of total bookings.
The influence of K-content lies behind the growing demand for long stays. Analysts say that as foreign tourists encounter Korean daily life and lifestyle culture through dramas, variety shows, and YouTube, demand to experience it firsthand has increased.
The spread of remote work and digital nomadism has also contributed to the rise in long-stay travel. As environments that allow people to work regardless of time and place expand, demand for "workations" combining travel and work is naturally extending to month-long stay products.
Government policy is also supporting the trend. The "Digital Nomad Visa," in pilot operation since this year, allows foreigners to stay in Korea while combining work and travel. As assessments emerge that the visa lowers the barriers to staying compared with existing tourist visas, inquiries and booking conversions for related products are also increasing.
Product offerings are also changing. Moving away from a simple lodging focus, formats combining language education and cultural experiences are becoming mainstream. The products are characterized by adding various experiential programs such as Korean cuisine, hanbok, and taekwondo to Korean language classes, allowing foreigners to experience Korean life more deeply.
In particular, products built around lodging near major commercial districts such as Hongdae, Gangnam, and Myeongdong are gaining favor, as they allow foreigners to naturally encounter Korean culture in their daily lives.
"Foreigners these days recognize the experience of actually living in Korea as an important element of travel," Creatrip CEO Lim Hye-min said. "Beyond the stage of lowering barriers to long-term stays, we will continue to expand products and partnerships that reflect lifestyle-related demand such as medical care, beauty, and wellness, strengthening our competitiveness as an inbound platform."
