It has been found that tourists visiting Jeju spend more than 40% of their total expenditures on food and beverages. Despite ongoing debates over high dining costs, a significant number of visitors expressed a positive attitude, saying they are willing to pay extra for Jeju’s unique culinary experiences.

Tourists arriving at Jeju Airport. Photo by Yonhap News

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The Jeju Tourism Organization released the "Jeju F&B (Food & Beverage) Consumption In-Depth Analysis Report" on December 9. The report was compiled by analyzing credit card spending data in Jeju over the past year, from June last year to May this year, along with tourist surveys and online reviews.

An analysis of tourists who experienced meals in various ways during their stay in Jeju-including dining at restaurants, placing takeout orders, and using delivery apps-showed that food and beverage accounted for 41% of their total expenditures. This figure represents 52.2% of Jeju’s overall food and beverage market, with domestic tourists accounting for 45.9% and foreign tourists for 6.3%, indicating a higher spending ratio than local residents.

A survey of tourists who dined at local restaurants found that 33.2% had ordered delivery food during their trip. Additionally, 59.1% of those who visited restaurants in person and 73.9% of delivery app users had ordered food for takeout. This indicates that the way visitors consume food in Jeju is expanding beyond simply dining at restaurants, with takeout and delivery becoming increasingly prevalent.

The main reasons for the high demand for delivery and takeout included travelers who wanted to enjoy food comfortably with alcohol at their accommodations, as well as groups with infants, companions with pets, and solo travelers-groups that may face constraints when dining at restaurants.

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In terms of menu preferences, "sashimi" ranked first. The most important factor in choosing a restaurant was "taste," while for cafes, "atmosphere" was cited as most important. On the other hand, the biggest complaint when expectations were not met was "price." Among those with dining experience, 61.4% expressed dissatisfaction with prices, as did 14.3% of delivery users and 41.1% of cafe visitors.

Nevertheless, 68.1% responded that they are willing to pay more if it is for food that can only be experienced in Jeju. Furthermore, 58.6% said that although they thought dining costs in Jeju were high, they were satisfied overall, surpassing the halfway mark.

A representative from the Jeju Tourism Organization stated, "Price gouging, where customers are charged more than the listed price, must be eradicated. However, if the level of service matches the selling price, the controversy over dining costs will naturally be resolved. It is necessary to further raise the level of service provided by Jeju residents to exceed the expectations of tourists."