Jeju Travel Losing Out to Japan and Taiwan... Also Falling Behind Busan

Summer Vacation Satisfaction Perception Shift
Hit Hard by High Inflation... Plummets to 4th Place

A survey revealed that the perceived satisfaction of tourists visiting Jeju this summer has significantly declined for the second consecutive year. This is the first time Jeju has dropped from the top spot in a regional satisfaction survey conducted during the summer vacation period (June to August).

Consumer Insight, a travel research specialist organization, announced on the 18th that Busan took first place in this summer's vacation satisfaction survey, while Jeju Island, which had held the undisputed top spot since the survey began in 2016, fell to fourth place behind Gangwon and Jeonnam.

Tourists Visiting Yongduam Rock in Jeju During Chuseok Holiday
Photo by Yonhap News

In the survey, Jeju scored 723 points out of 1000 in overall satisfaction. This marks a 34-point drop, a larger decline following last year's 23-point decrease amid the 'high inflation controversy.'

Busan scored 736 points, taking first place for the first time. Rising one rank each year since placing fourth in 2020, Busan ranked within the top three in all travel resource categories, including taking first place in food, which helped it ascend to the top spot. Gangwon (735 points) took second place, just one point behind Busan. Although Gangwon had high satisfaction with travel resources, a drop in scores for 'prices and commercial ethics' held it back.

Jeonnam (724 points) followed in third place. The survey was conducted with 17,281 people who spent their summer vacation on domestic trips of one night or more.

Specifically, the comparison groups included five aspects of 'travel resource attractiveness': places to rest, sights to see, food, activities, and shopping; and five aspects of 'travel environment comfort': cleanliness and hygiene, convenience facilities, prices and commercial ethics, safety and security, and transportation.

Consumer Insight attributed Jeju's drop in ranking to the impact of 'high inflation.' Among the 10 survey categories, Jeju's scores for food and places to rest declined, and it received the lowest score nationwide among 16 cities and provinces (excluding Sejong) in the evaluation of prices and commercial ethics.

On February 14th, Jeju Airport was bustling with returning travelers and tourists.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Consumer Insight highlighted the downward trend in satisfaction with Jeju as a vacation destination in the second half of last year. At that time, they noted, "Although Jeju ranks overwhelmingly first in terms of travel resources, it received mid-to-lower rankings in travel environment comfort," adding, "Its rankings dropped in categories such as cleanliness and hygiene and transportation, and it received the lowest nationwide evaluation in the 'prices and commercial ethics' category," urging improvements in these areas.

Furthermore, recent price increases and economic downturns have made cost one of the major concerns in travel, influencing satisfaction. The amount spent or to be spent during travel has become an important criterion for evaluating travel destinations.

Consumer Insight analyzed that in this survey, Jeju's scores for food and places to rest decreased, and its evaluation of prices and commercial ethics fell to the lowest nationwide, indicating that the effects of the high inflation controversy continue.

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