"The key weapon for attracting 30 million tourists is not intuition and experience, but accurate and timely data," said Park Sung-hyuk, president of the Korea Tourism Organization. In the first half of this year, the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea exceeded 10.71 million. Park aims to accelerate this growth using data and AI, targeting 30 million foreign visitors by 2028. A new era of competition in South Korean tourism is beginning, shifting from searching for attractions to having AI design travel experiences.
South Korea's tourism industry is at a pivotal moment. Global interest in K-Culture, including K-pop, dramas, films, and cuisine, is translating into actual visits, leading to rapid growth in the tourism market.
In the first half of this year, foreign tourist arrivals surpassed 10.71 million, with the cumulative total exceeding 10 million as of June 20, a month earlier than last year. The challenge for South Korean tourism now extends beyond merely recovering pre-COVID-19 levels; it is crucial to connect the increasing number of tourists to overall industrial and regional economic growth.
Park's next goal is to reach 30 million foreign tourists by 2028. In a competitive landscape where countries like Japan are rapidly growing, it is essential to convert interest in K-Culture into actual visits, stays, and spending.
To connect the 10.71 million tourists this year to the target of 30 million by 2028, Park emphasizes the importance of data and AI.
The Korea Tourism Organization has initiated a transformation by establishing the Tourism AI Innovation Headquarters, focusing on applying AI and data to tourism policies and industry practices.
This includes developing AI travel assistants, enhancing the Korea Tourism Data Lab, and expanding the use of tourism data. It is vital to create a structure where not only tourists receive AI services but also tourism organizations and local governments utilize data for more accurate decision-making.
The goal is to transition from using AI as a mere tourism product to integrating AI across the entire tourism industry.
Park emphasizes that achieving the target of 30 million tourists relies heavily on data. Instead of relying solely on the experience and intuition of tourism policy and marketing officials, it is essential to analyze actual tourist behavior through data.
Understanding which countries' tourists visit South Korea, where they stay, what they consume, and how long they remain in specific areas can lead to more refined tourism policies. There is no need to present the same South Korea to Japanese and American tourists, nor to offer identical travel packages to K-pop fans and those interested in Korean cuisine.
At the center of this effort is the Korea Tourism Data Lab, which has surpassed 100,000 members. By enhancing the data lab and providing tourism trend reports, it supports decision-making in the tourism industry. When combined with AI, it can evolve from merely showing past statistics to analyzing tourist behavior and demand, helping to determine which markets and regions to target in the future.
This does not mean abandoning intuition and experience; rather, data and AI validate experiences and assist in making more accurate judgments.
The most significant change brought by AI in tourism is the way travel is planned. Previously, foreign visitors had to navigate through searches, blogs, and YouTube to find attractions, accommodations, restaurants, and transportation in South Korea.
In the future, they can simply ask AI. If they want to experience K-pop and Korean cuisine over three days or request a comfortable itinerary for traveling with their parents, AI will design a trip tailored to their interests and schedule.
The 'AI Travel Assistant' being developed by the Korea Tourism Organization will play this role. By providing tourism information in multiple languages and connecting attractions, transportation, food, and accommodations, it can significantly reduce the language and information barriers faced by foreign visitors.
The focus of tourism is shifting from searching for information to having AI design travel experiences.
Another competitive advantage of AI tourism is hyper-personalization. Until now, South Korean tourism has concentrated on promoting famous attractions to as many people as possible. In the AI era, it can showcase a different South Korea for each individual.
For Southeast Asian tourists who love K-pop, AI can connect them with performances, shopping, and filming locations, while American tourists interested in Korean cuisine can be directed to traditional markets and local culinary tours. History enthusiasts can explore Gyeongju and the historical sites of Gongju and Buyeo, while those seeking nature and relaxation can be recommended lesser-known areas.
South Korea is not lacking in tourism resources; the challenge lies in the fact that many foreign visitors are still unaware of them. If AI can connect tourists' preferences with local attractions, South Korea can become a massive tourism product.
However, simply achieving the target of 30 million foreign tourists is not enough if most of them stay in Seoul and the surrounding areas. The success of the tourism industry must be evaluated based on whether the benefits are distributed across the entire country.
Tourists need to travel to different regions, stay an extra day, dine at local restaurants, and consume local culture and tourism products. This is how the increase in tourists translates into regional economic growth and job creation.
AI can help bridge the information gap that hinders regional tourism. It can identify regions that match tourists' preferences and connect transportation, accommodations, restaurants, and experience programs into a single itinerary. For foreigners hesitant to explore regions due to language and transportation issues, AI can serve as a personal travel guide.
The success of the 30 million tourist era will depend not only on how many visitors come to South Korea but also on how far they travel, how long they stay, and where they spend their money.
South Korea possesses unique assets that differentiate it from other tourism competitors: K-Culture. People around the world listen to Korean music, watch dramas and films, enjoy Korean food, and use Korean cosmetics.
The challenge for the tourism industry now is to convert this interest into actual visits. AI can analyze tourists' interests and connect them with related places, food, performances, shopping, and local tourism in a single travel experience.
We are transitioning from an era of promoting the same South Korea to showcasing the country that each individual wants to see. Converting K-Culture fans into South Korean tourists and spreading those tourists from Seoul to the regions is a crucial task for the 30 million tourist era.
AI cannot replace the emotional impact of travel. Tourism is fundamentally an experiential industry. Walking through new places, meeting people, tasting food, and experiencing unexpected moments are what travel is about.
No matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot replicate the feeling of walking through the streets of Gyeongju, tasting food at a traditional market, or the excitement of a K-pop concert.
AI's role is not to eliminate human experiences but to enhance them. It helps discover places that match travelers' preferences, reduces language and transportation inconveniences, and provides accurate information when needed.
As AI advances, the importance of people, places, and culture in tourism may actually increase.
South Korea's tourism is at a critical juncture. The surpassing of 10.71 million foreign tourists in the first half of this year shows new possibilities. However, reaching the target of 30 million by 2028 will not happen automatically based on current growth trends.
We must read what global tourists want through data. AI must showcase a different South Korea for each individual. We need to send tourists who visit Seoul to the regions and encourage repeat visits to South Korea.
The establishment of the Tourism AI Innovation Headquarters should not be merely an organizational change. It must lead to real changes in AI travel assistants, the Korea Tourism Data Lab, regional tourism, and tourism businesses.
Park's vision for tourism policy ultimately condenses into four transformations:
From tourism based on intuition and experience to data-driven tourism.
From searching for tourism information to AI-designed travel.
From Seoul-centered tourism to exploring all of South Korea.
From one-time visits to repeat tourism.
South Korea already possesses a global asset in K-Culture. Now it is time to convert global interest into actual visits, stays, and spending. With the addition of tourism data and AI, South Korea's tourism can take another leap forward.
The 10.71 million tourists in the first half of the year is just the starting point. The next target is 30 million by 2028.
The question is clear.
Can South Korea open the era of 30 million foreign tourists by 2028 with the power of AI and K-Culture?
The Korea Tourism Organization and President Park Sung-hyuk are at the center of creating that answer.
Park Sung-hyuk, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, is an expert with over 30 years of experience in global advertising and marketing. He has held various positions, including head of the German branch of Cheil Worldwide, European general manager, North American general manager, and head of the global division, before being appointed president of the Korea Tourism Organization in December 2025.
He is focused on combining data, AI, K-Culture, and global marketing to accelerate the arrival of the 30 million foreign tourist era by 2028.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.