Number of S. Korean overseas travelers slowly increase after reopening: market data

[Courtesy of the Korea Airports Corporation]

SEOUL -- The number of South Korean overseas travelers has exceeded 5 million in the first half of 2023, accounting for up to about 50 percent of the number of people who traveled to foreign countries in the first half of 2019, data released by the state airport management body showed. The number of total overseas flyers in 2022 was about 1.78 million.
 
The Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) said in a statement that the number of travelers who headed out to other countries through the country's seven main airports in the first six months of 2023 was about five million. The airport operator aims to attract 13 million travelers by the end of 2023 through an investment of some 5.2 billion won ( million). KAC has secured five additional international routes departing from airports in the southern port city of Gimhae, the southern resort island of Jeju, and Cheongju, about 112 kilometers (69 miles) south of Seoul.
 
KAC revealed its plan to attract more passengers by collaborating with Yanolja, a major online travel service platform operator in South Korea, to provide travel products at airports located in rural areas such as Yangyang County on the eastern coast and Muan County on the western coast. KAC said it is in talks with its Chinese and Japanese counterparts to come up with plans that will help KAC attract more travelers from foreign countries.