Gangjin County in South Jeolla Province, which transformed Korea's tourism policy by introducing the nation's first "half-price travel" program, has unveiled a new initiative offering young travelers refunds of up to 70% of their travel expenses.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced Monday that they will officially launch the "2026 Gangjin Half-Price Travel (Local Love Vacation Support Program)" with Gangjin County starting on the 10th. The program has drawn particular attention this year for newly introducing benefits that subsidize up to 70% of travel costs for young visitors.
Gangjin's Half-Price Travel is Korea's first stay-based tourism policy, refunding part of travelers' expenses—including lodging, meals and activity fees spent in the region—through local currency. The system enables tourists to cut travel costs while the issued local currency circulates back into the regional economy, creating a virtuous cycle that boosts sales for small business owners.
The results have been clear. According to Gangjin County, a total of 23,665 teams pre-registered for Half-Price Travel through last month, with 16,292 teams actually visiting Gangjin. Tourists spent approximately 4.97 billion won in the region. In return, Gangjin County issued mobile Gangjin Love Gift Certificates worth a combined 2.2006 billion won.
Reactions from travelers who experienced the program have been enthusiastic. "Airfares were too expensive, so I chose this instead of an overseas trip, and I rediscovered the appeal of domestic travel," one user said. Another traveler expressed satisfaction, saying, "I went with a friend, just the two of us, and we received a 200,000 won refund—our lodging and meal expenses were essentially covered." Among travelers, a tip is also being shared: "You must apply for the refund within 7 days after your trip."
Up to 70% Support for Youth, Aiming for a '365-Day Tourist City'
The biggest change in this year's Half-Price Travel is the special support for young people. Young people residing outside Gangjin County (born between April 1, 1992, and April 1, 2007) who travel alone to Gangjin and spend at least 30,000 won can receive 70% of their spending back as mobile Gangjin Love Gift Certificates. The maximum support amount is 140,000 won.
General tourists will continue to receive 50% support on travel expenses, as before. Individuals can receive up to 100,000 won, while teams of two or more can receive up to 200,000 won.
To establish Half-Price Travel as a year-round policy rather than a one-time event, Gangjin County has secured a total budget of 6 billion won this year. This includes 3 billion won in county funds, 1 billion won from the Local Love Vacation Support Program and 2 billion won from the Regional Extinction Response Fund.
Through this, the county plans to move beyond the structure where tourists flock only during specific peak seasons, creating a "365-day tourist city" that can be visited comfortably at any time.
Travelers who have actually used Half-Price Travel expressed high satisfaction, saying, "Japan is close, but airfares were too expensive to go, and I didn't know there were so many places to visit in Korea like this," and "I went with one friend, just the two of us, and received 200,000 won in support—it felt like our lodging and meals were all free." They also shared insider tips about the program, such as, "You must apply within 7 days after your trip."
Government Takes Notice...'Gangjin Model' Spreads Nationwide
The success of Half-Price Travel has captured the government's attention. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization adopted Gangjin's Half-Price Travel model as a national pilot project while pushing forward the "Local Love Vacation Support Program" with a total budget of 6.5 billion won this year.
The project aims to address the regional extinction crisis through tourism revitalization. Among 84 rural population-declining regions nationwide, 16 local governments, including Gangjin County, were ultimately selected.
Selected regions include Pyeongchang, Yeongwol and Hoengseong in Gangwon; Jecheon in North Chungcheong; Gochang in North Jeolla; Gangjin, Yeonggwang, Haenam, Goheung, Wando and Yeongam in South Jeolla; and Miryang, Hadong, Hapcheon, Geochang and Namhae in South Gyeongsang.
Domestic travel demand is also on the rise. The number of domestic regional trips by Koreans in January and February this year reached 39.31 million, up 6.9% from the same period last year. Regional travel spending during the same period also rose 3.0% to 5.401 trillion won. The number of regional visitors from metropolitan area residents reached 176.9 million, up 6.81% from the previous year.
"Half-Price Travel, which Gangjin started, has been recognized as an exemplary case of regional tourism revitalization and expanded into a national project," a Gangjin County official said. "We will further strengthen the virtuous cycle in which tourism consumption flows into the local economy, building a tourist city where residents and visitors thrive together."
