Jeju Tourists Show Increased Interest in Nature and Marine Leisure Sports After COVID-19 Crisis

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] Tourists visiting Jeju have shown increased interest in nature and marine leisure sports such as camping, oreum (volcanic cones), surfing, and paddleboarding since COVID-19. It appears necessary to develop various tourism products based on Jeju's pristine environment in the future.

According to Jeju Tourism Organization on the 15th, keywords searched by tourists visiting Jeju after COVID-19 have increased around outdoor activities such as camping, oreum, car camping, caravans, campgrounds, camping cars, and auto camping.

Types of camping mentioned include backpacking, car camping, and auto camping in that order, while companion types included solo camping, couple camping, and camping with friends. Popular camping spots were Geumneung Beach, Udo Island, Biyangdo Island, Hyeopjae Beach, and Hamdeok Beach.

Analysis of related keywords for major tourist destinations in the province by Jeju Tourism Organization showed that even after COVID-19, keyword mentions related to Seongsan-eup in Seogwipo City, Andeok-myeon, Gujwa-eup in Jeju City, and Aewol-eup remained high.

Regarding the Seongsan, Gujwa, and Jocheon areas, activities enjoyed by small groups such as nature sightseeing, surfing, paddleboarding, and scuba diving were frequently mentioned, along with strong interest in healing camping picnics (camping+picnic) and healing forests as part of healing travel.

In the Andeok and Hyeongyeong areas, flower viewing and cafes related to nature sightseeing were frequently mentioned, and there was high interest in nature-themed cafes based on natural scenic views.

In the Aewol and Hallim areas, keywords such as famous cafes and experiential activities were common, and interest in baking and cooking classes (culinary lessons) was also increasing.

A representative from Jeju Tourism Organization stated, “Interest in outdoor activities such as camping is expected to continue due to COVID-19, and the preference for individually tailored experiential activities will also persist. Through this survey, we can discover Jeju tourism content and propose strategic implications for establishing marketing strategies that consider changes in Jeju tourism trends.”

Meanwhile, Jeju Tourism Organization conducted a survey of 126,989 posts and comments on social media (blogs, cafes, YouTube, TripAdvisor, etc.) from January 2019 to November 2020 and announced the results of the ‘Analysis of Jeju Tourism Trends Before and After COVID-19.’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.