Labor Day Travelers Up 55%... Regional Travel Surges 70%

Ministry Expands Support for "Half-Price Travel" and Accommodation Discounts
Credit Card Spending Reaches 743.6 Billion Won, 576,000 Railway Passengers

On Labor Day, which became an official public holiday, the number of domestic travelers increased by 55% compared to the previous year, and travelers heading to non-capital regions rose by 70%. Travel-related credit card spending also jumped by 40%, indicating that the Labor Day holiday significantly boosted regional tourism demand.

On Labor Day, which became a public holiday by law, the number of national travelers increased by 55% compared to the previous year, and travelers heading to non-metropolitan areas increased by 70%. The photo shows a festival scene in Goheung County. Photo by Goheung County

On May 14, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, after analyzing domestic travel trends during the Labor Day holiday in cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization and Korea Railroad Corporation, the number of domestic travelers reached 11.63 million on May 1. This represents a 55% increase from 7.53 million on the same day last year.

The increase in travel to regional areas was particularly notable. The number of travelers to the capital region increased by 37% from 3.48 million last year to 4.76 million this year, while the number of travelers to non-capital regions surged by 70% from 4.05 million to 6.87 million. According to telecommunications data analysis, approximately 11.9 million people traveled outside their place of residence to other regions each day from May 1 to May 3 during the Labor Day holiday.

Spending also rose alongside travel. On May 1, travel-related credit card spending amounted to 743.6 billion won, a 40% increase from 532.2 billion won on the same day last year. The number of railway passengers reached 576,000, up 41% from 408,000 a year earlier. All types of trains, including KTX, Saemaeul, and Mugunghwa, recorded all-time highs in passenger numbers.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will expand travel support programs using the supplementary budget to continue encouraging domestic regional travel after the Labor Day holiday. The "Half-Price Travel" program, which partially subsidizes travel expenses for visitors to regions with declining populations, will begin additional recruitment in July. The "Half-Price Vacation" program, where the government and companies each cover 50% of workers' vacation expenses, will increase the number of participating workers from 100,000 to 145,000.

From June to July, the "Summer Accommodation Sale Festa," which offers up to 70,000 won in lodging subsidies to travelers visiting non-capital regions experiencing population decline, will also be implemented. The total number of subsidies available is 300,000.

Kang Jeongwon, policy chief of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Despite concerns that high oil prices might dampen travel sentiment, many people visited regional areas during the Labor Day holiday. As the consumption of 620 regional visitors is equivalent to that of one resident, we will continue to promote programs that stimulate domestic travel demand to revitalize regional economies through tourism."

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