Agoda, a digital travel platform, said Tuesday that its “2026 Travel Outlook Report” survey across eight Asian markets found Taiwan had the highest share of respondents citing food as a main travel purpose, at 47%. Vietnam followed at 35% and South Korea at 34%. Malaysia was at 33%, Japan 32%, Indonesia 31%, Thailand 20% and India 8%. South Korea’s figure was above the Asia average of 31%.
Korean travelers are also seeking regional seasonal specialties. Agoda said its analysis of domestic lodging searches from January through March showed year-on-year increases across major spring ingredient-producing areas.
Changwon, which accounts for about 70% of Korea’s production of sea squirt, saw lodging searches rise 34%. Seocheon, known for webfoot octopus, and Gwangyang, known for corbicula clams, rose 30% and 28%, respectively. Jindo, a spring blue crab producing area, increased 23%, and searches by domestic travelers surged 357% amid anticipation for the Jindo Blue Crab Festival, scheduled for May 1-3.
Nonsan, the country’s largest strawberry-producing area, posted an 18% increase. The Nonsan Strawberry Festival, held March 26-29, drew about 670,000 visitors and sold a total of 150 tons of strawberries.
“Among travelers recently, the trend of wanting to experience local food culture is becoming clear,” said Lee Jun-hwan, Agoda’s Northeast Asia head. “South Korea offers distinctive seasonal foods by region, from Changwon’s sea squirt to Nonsan’s strawberry desserts.” He said Agoda will continue supporting travelers with competitively priced flights, lodging and activities so they can experience local cuisine in each area.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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