Koreans spent 39.5 trillion won on domestic travel last year, up 7.3% from a year earlier. The number of domestic trips also rose 3.1% to 300.9 million, reversing a decline seen in 2024. Travel spending in Daejeon surged 29.7%, the largest increase among the country's 17 cities and provinces, with regional travel growth outpacing the greater Seoul area.
According to the "2025 National Travel Survey" released Tuesday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the domestic travel participation rate reached 97.0% last year, up 1.6 percentage points from the previous year. The number of domestic trips, which sums repeated trips by the same individuals, totaled 300.9 million, while days spent at travel destinations reached 472.5 million. The survey is a government-approved statistic covering 4,300 people each month and 51,600 annually, targeting citizens aged 15 and older.
Per person, Koreans took an average of 6.5 domestic trips last year, spent 10.2 days at destinations, and spent 852,000 won annually. Not only the number of trips but also the length of stay and spending increased together.
The growth in regional travel was also confirmed. The growth rate in travel days was 2.9% for Seoul and 5.5% for Gyeonggi, but reached 20.6% for Daejeon, 10.6% for Gangwon, and 9.3% for North Jeolla. In terms of spending, Daejeon rose 29.7% from the previous year to 551 billion won, while North Gyeongsang, Gwangju, and North Chungcheong also posted double-digit growth rates.
Travel patterns shifted somewhat from day visits toward overnight stays. The share of domestic trips lasting one night or more rose 1.3 percentage points, from 40.0% in 2024 to 41.3% last year. This is interpreted as a growing trend of domestic travelers not merely making brief stops in regions but continuing to spend on lodging, food and beverages, and transportation.
By mode of transportation, car use accounted for the largest share at 84.5%. However, this was slightly down from the previous year, while the shares of chartered and tour buses and aircraft each increased. The proportion of travel agency product purchases for tourism trips also edged up to 2.8%, and among these, the share of full package products including transportation and lodging rose to 79.5%.
The ministry views domestic travel as expanding beyond a quantitative recovery toward adding consumption to regional economies, and plans to expand regional stay-based tourism content and infrastructure.
