Market spotlight: South Korea

Emily Kim
Managing Director
Visit California South Korea

Market performance

In 2025, California welcomed approximately 520,000 Korean visitors, maintaining its position as the top U.S. destination for Korean travelers. Los Angeles and San Francisco continue to serve as primary gateways, while demand for broader statewide experiences — including coastal road trips, luxury travel, outdoor recreation and culinary tourism — continues to expand. California also maintains one of the highest shares of Korean visitation to the United States among all states.

The Korean outbound market has remained comparatively resilient despite ongoing economic pressures, including a weakened Korean won and rising long-haul travel costs. While travelers have become increasingly value-conscious, demand for international travel remains strong. Market indicators suggest these conditions are influencing booking behavior and trip-planning timelines more than overall demand, with many travelers adjusting travel timing or spending patterns rather than postponing travel altogether.

Extensive nonstop service between Seoul Incheon and California gateways, combined with strong awareness of California’s Korean-friendly infrastructure, shopping, dining and entertainment offerings, continues to reinforce the state’s appeal among Korean travelers.

Competitive environment

Korean travelers are increasingly prioritizing independent and personalized travel experiences. Millennials, affluent travelers and family segments continue to drive demand for premium accommodations, wellness travel, entertainment, sports tourism and immersive outdoor experiences. California’s diversity of experiences, year-round climate and strong cultural relevance continue to align closely with evolving Korean traveler preferences. Repeat visitation is also high, contributing to growing interest in secondary California destinations and longer statewide itineraries beyond traditional gateway cities.

Competition within the Korean outbound market remains intense, particularly from nearby destinations such as Japan, which continues to benefit from favorable exchange rates and geographic proximity. California remains competitive with these more destinations through its lifestyle appeal, iconic experiences and alignment with Korean consumer interests in entertainment, sports and outdoor travel. Sports tourism has emerged as a growing opportunity, fueled by increasing Korean interest in international sporting events and Korean athletes competing abroad.

 Visit California programs

Visit California’s efforts in South Korea continue to focus on strengthening the state’s positioning as a premium, aspirational and experience-led destination for Korean travelers. Current programs emphasize road trips, outdoor exploration, luxury travel, family travel and sports tourism, reflecting evolving traveler interests and booking behavior within the market.

Travel trade engagement remains a key component of the Korea market strategy through collaboration with major tour operators, OTAs, airline partners and media platforms. Visit California Korea also continues to engage key trade stakeholders through the Ultimate California Players (UCP) platform, supporting market insight sharing and partner alignment amid evolving market conditions. Destination trainings, cooperative marketing activities and product-focused FAM programs continue to promote road trips, sports tourism, edutainment experiences and secondary California destinations beyond traditional gateway cities, encouraging broader statewide itinerary development within the market.

PR and digital programs continue to highlight California’s lifestyle appeal through influencer collaborations, including FAM trips, YouTube content creation and media outreach initiatives centered on freedom, discovery, entertainment, wellness and outdoor experiences. As Korean travelers increasingly seek immersive and meaningful travel experiences, California remains well positioned to sustain long-term growth and visitor demand from one of Asia’s most strategically important outbound markets.