2026 Travel Trends: How K-Content is Driving a 178% Surge in Domestic Travel Searches

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“More people are hunting for domestic spots they haven’t seen yet, or traveling to new places introduced on social media. You can now easily spot foreign tourists even at local attractions like Biryong Falls.”

That’s the travel trend Lee Jun-hwan, head of Agoda Northeast Asia, has been feeling lately. He joined Agoda Korea as country head in 2020 and, since last year, has overseen both Korea and Japan as the Northeast Asia lead. After managing global partner accounts and the Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan regions at Bloomberg LP, he now runs Agoda with data analysis and localization as his two pillars. I met him at Agoda’s Seoul office to talk Korea market strategy and travel-industry trends.

Inbound searches up 31%, domestic trip plans up 37% — both demands are rising together

Agoda’s platform data puts Korea’s growth into sharp numbers. Comparing 2024 and 2025, searches for inbound accommodations increased by 31%, while the number of Koreans planning domestic trips jumped 37%.

With inbound and domestic demand growing at the same time, Agoda is seeing a broadly positive trend in the Korean market. Korea and Japan, both in Northeast Asia, have become key growth drivers on Agoda’s platform.

Domestic travel demand within Korea has shifted dramatically. In a 2024 survey, only about 10% of Korean customers said they planned domestic trips for the following year. In 2025, roughly 50% said they were planning domestic travel.

Demand for overseas trips is steady too. Searches for international destinations rose by about 30% over the same period. In short, travelers are discovering new domestic spots while also looking abroad — and both currents are growing together.

Yeongwol searches surge 178% — K-content is reshaping travel choices

Lee credits much of the market’s growth to the influence of K-content. The success of the film The Man Who Lives with the King, released earlier this year, showed a clear impact in the data. After the movie’s release (Feb. 4–25, 2026), searches for accommodations in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, on Agoda rose 178% compared with the period just before release (Jan. 13–Feb. 3). Korean searches climbed 183%, and foreign searches rose 67%.

Where inbound travelers once concentrated on major Seoul hotels and well-known attractions, they’re increasingly branching out beyond the capital. Travel has shifted from ticking off famous theme parks and taking snapshots to prioritizing hands-on, experience-driven trips.

The ongoing global spread of K-pop and K-culture is also a positive factor. More people want to visit lesser-known spots, sample new foods, and try unusual activities. With a strong public-transit network, Korea is becoming an attractive, competitive destination for experience-seeking travelers.

We started with motels — and foreign visitors began booking them too

One standout element of Agoda’s Korea strategy is its motel-booking service. It’s rare for global OTAs to treat motels as an official product. Lee describes the move as a result of localization that produced an unexpected payoff.

The motel offering began as a service tailored to the Korean market. Today, many foreign visitors to Korea are using it as well. While Koreans often distinguish motels from hotels, international travelers see motels near subway stations — with budget-friendly rates and quick check-in/check-out — as perfectly attractive lodging options.

Enhancing services for Korean customers has, in effect, widened choices for global customers too. Lee stresses that Agoda’s localization isn’t about tweaking one feature.

Even in big meetings where we ask, “What should we do for the global market?” the real question at rollout becomes, “What best serves Korean customers?” That focus drives decisions: adding KakaoPay, Naver Pay, and Toss Pay; switching to Naver Maps; and using fonts that improve readability for Korean users. Localization runs across the whole service.

Picking comedian Lee Su-ji as a Korean brand ambassador followed the same logic. A familiar face helps deepen connections with Korean users and clarifies Agoda’s motel strategy.

AI fuels price competitiveness — savings flow back into lower prices

Budget matters: 53% of Korean travelers cite price as a key factor, so Agoda emphasizes “reasonable prices” as a core value. Lee points to AI as the structural basis of that competitiveness.

Even when searches are made under the same conditions, results can differ by access time and user profile because Agoda personalizes results using individual preferences and past data. This boosts booking conversion rates and strengthens relationships with partner hotels, enabling more competitive pricing.

Automation is also expanding in customer service. Where staff once handled every check manually, automated systems now deliver faster, more efficient responses. The cost savings from these efficiencies feed back into price competitiveness — a virtuous cycle Agoda calls its “Deal Master” strategy.

Personalization is advancing too. Through a partnership with Samsung Wallet, Agoda will let users add hotel and flight reservations directly to Samsung Wallet and will let flight details show on the lock screen.

Different passport ownership rates mean different platform strategies

Overseeing both Korea and Japan, Lee pointed to an unexpected metric: passport ownership rates.

About 60% of South Koreans hold passports, while Japan’s rate is roughly 17%. That partly explains why domestic travel demand tends to be higher in Japan. It’s less a matter of disposition and more about each market’s preferred travel style.

But he emphasizes that localization is critical in both markets. In Japan, services must be tailored to Japanese users; in Korea, to Korean users — all while ensuring international tourists don’t face friction.

Localization and partnerships — the twin pillars

Asked about Agoda’s top priority for 2026, Lee’s answer was straightforward.

Agoda’s priority is to offer customers the broadest possible range of products and price points. That requires deep localization. Partnerships are equally essential: the more stable and expansive the partner network, the more diverse and competitively priced products Agoda can deliver.

Looking ahead, Lee expects demand for localized experiences to keep growing. Delivering products that meet those needs through innovative technology will be a decisive competitive edge across the OTA industry, Agoda included.

▶ Lee Jun-hwan, head of Agoda Northeast Asia: Yeongwol searches jumped 178%… experience-focused travel, proven by data

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