Lifestyle Trend: Gov’t to grant visa-free entry to Indonesia, expand automated gates to EU nationals You Should Know

Korea unveiled an ambitious package of tourism measures on Wednesday, including looser visa rules, expanded regional airport routes and a crackdown on price gouging, as part of a government effort to attract 30 million inbound visitors. The plan includes granting visa-free entry to travelers from Indonesia and expanding automated entry processing to nationals from European Union member states.

The measures were announced at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting, chaired by President Lee Jae Myung and attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, ministers from 15 government agencies, and representatives from the tourism industry.

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young characterized the global resonance of Korea’s cultural exports as a “golden time” for the domestic travel industry, unveiling an ambitious initiative titled “K-Tourism Embraces the World.” The move comes as Seoul seeks to capitalize on a postpandemic recovery that, while significant, continues to be overshadowed by a record-breaking tourism boom in neighboring Japan.

While Korea welcomed more than 18 million inbound visitors in 2025, surpassing the prepandemic peak of 17 million and marking an increase of roughly 15 percent from 2024 — it has struggled to keep pace with Japan’s meteoric rise. Fueled by a historically weak yen, Japan saw a record 43 million arrivals in the same period, a nearly 16 percent increase year-on-year.

At the center of Korea’s strategy is a significant easing of entry barriers. Indonesia will be granted visa-free entry on a trial basis for group tourists of three or more, while citizens of China and Southeast Asian nations who have previously visited Korea will become eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas. Residents of major cities in those countries can apply for 10-year visas.

The country’s automated immigration gates, currently available to travelers from 18 nations including Japan, Singapore and Australia, will be expanded to cover nationals from European Union member states.

The government is also making a concerted effort to steer visitors beyond Seoul.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to sharply increase direct international flights to regional airports by creating dedicated air traffic rights for those hubs and offering fee reductions to attract new routes.

Domestic connecting flights between Incheon and regional airports will be added, and late-night airport bus services — currently limited to 13 Seoul-area routes — will be extended to Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces. KTX high-speed rail tickets will also be made available for advance booking earlier than the current one-month window.

To address the chronic shortage of quality accommodation outside Seoul, oversight of the lodging industry will be consolidated under the culture ministry. A new Accommodation Promotion Act is planned, along with a quality certification system. The government will also develop a Korean version of Spain’s “parador” model, converting traditional houses, temples and folk villages into premium stays.

In a bid to clean up a reputation for tourist-targeted overcharging, the government announced a zero-tolerance policy on price gouging. Businesses caught failing to display or honor listed prices will face immediate suspension.

President Lee Jae Myung, right, speaks during the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Seated next to him are Lee Boo-jin, chairperson of the Visit Korea Committee; Prime Minister Kim Min-seok; and Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yun-duk. Yonhap

A new self-reporting pricing system will require accommodation providers to preregister seasonal rates, and rental car companies on Jeju Island will face caps on peak-season price hikes. Hotels that cancel existing reservations without justification will also face new penalties.

The package also introduces a “Visit Korea Year” campaign from 2027 to 2029, featuring lifestyle-based tourism products — from K-beauty and K-food trails to K-hiking experiences — that reflect a broader shift as visitors increasingly seek to live like locals rather than check off landmarks.

President Lee Jae Myung said the government will overhaul tourism infrastructure and clamp down on “rip-off pricing and aggressive touting” so that the growth of what he called a “core national strategic industry” is shared by regional economies, not just central Seoul.

He stressed that tourism should be treated as a “core national strategic industry,” saying it must go beyond “simply selling products” to become a cultural sector that “creates someone’s precious memories” and turns K-culture fandom into real-world visits to Korea.