Foreign arrivals at regional airports surge 37.4 percent

Foreign arrivals through regional airports in Korea experienced a significant surge of 37.4 percent during the first nine months of the current year, according to data released by the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC). This increase can be attributed to a growing number of foreign tourists directly entering the country via regional airports, bypassing larger hubs like Incheon and Gimpo, which saw only a 17.2 percent rise during the same period.

The data, analyzed by KAC and released on Thursday, showed that foreign nationals entered Korea through Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju, and Daegu airports, reaching a total of 3.24 million. This marked a 37.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Among these airports, Cheongju International Airport saw the highest growth at 59.5 percent, followed by Gimhae International Airport at 47.9 percent, Jeju International Airport at 27.9 percent, and Daegu International Airport at a modest 0.8 percent.

The rise in arrivals at these regional airports can be seen as a response to the ongoing trend of foreign tourists choosing to enter Korea directly through these smaller hubs. This shift highlights a growing preference among travelers to bypass the more congested and often more expensive international airports in Seoul's metropolitan area.