Quick answer: The Korea Tourism Organization's Unlock Your Korea: Go Local campaign runs from 7 October to 13 December 2026 to draw visitors beyond Seoul through Cheongju, Daegu and Gimhae airports and the Incheon, Pyeongtaek and Gunsan sea terminals. Most offers suit individuals. Explera DMC Korea uses the gateways for groups and checks each offer.
What was launched
- The campaign. Unlock Your Korea: Go Local, from the Korea Tourism Organization, launched on 7 October 2026 and running through 13 December.
- The aim. To spread international visitors beyond Seoul through provincial entry points.
- Airports. Cheongju, Daegu and Gimhae.
- Seaport terminals. Incheon, Pyeongtaek and Gunsan.
What support is described
- Payment. Expanded mobile payment options, and tax-free shopping at local markets and small stores.
- Transport. The K-Tour Pass in Busan, with discounted express train fares from the airport and free entry to 35 attractions.
- Food packages. Travel packages tied to Daegu's Tteokbokki Festival and Gimcheon's Gimbap Festival, promoted through KTO's overseas branches and global agencies.
- Language help. Multilingual service on the 1330 tourism hotline is growing to cover rural bus routes and hanok stay bookings.
What it means for groups
- Mostly individual tools. Mobile payment, cashback and the hotline help independent travellers. A group on a coach needs them less.
- The gateway is the point. Arriving at Gimhae, Daegu or Cheongju can cut a long transfer and open a route that starts outside Seoul.
- Check the offer. A promotion aimed at individuals may not cover a group, so we ask before we quote.
- Ends on 13 December. Anything tied to the campaign needs dates inside it, and we have no word yet on what follows.
How we use it
We treat Go Local as a reason to look again at a regional arrival, not as a package. Our regional gateway briefing sets out how to choose one, and the Busan K-Tour Pass briefing covers that pilot.
Where a food festival or a regional route suits the group, we plan it. If the offer does not reach groups, the programme works without it.
Planned with the agent
Explera DMC Korea plans programmes from regional gateways with the coach, a guide, venue bookings and a check on which campaign offers apply.
Send your dates, pax and group profile to b2b@explera.kr or WhatsApp +66 93 656 8090. Explera DMC Korea is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733) and an ASTA member (#900408341); our KTO and KATA registrations are in application.
Where this fits in our Korea programmes
The pages below carry the operational detail behind this briefing.
- Services: Group travel & GIT in Korea · Transportation & coaches in Korea · Tours & activities in Korea
- Destinations: Busan · Seoul · Incheon
Frequently asked questions
What is Unlock Your Korea: Go Local?
A Korea Tourism Organization campaign running from 7 October to 13 December 2026. It promotes travel beyond Seoul through regional airports and seaports, with help on payments, transport, food-festival packages and language.
Which gateways does it cover?
The regional airports at Cheongju, Daegu and Gimhae, and the seaport terminals at Incheon, Pyeongtaek and Gunsan.
Do the campaign offers apply to tour groups?
Many are written for individual travellers, such as mobile payment, cashback and the 1330 hotline. Explera DMC Korea checks each offer for a group before quoting it.
Why consider a regional arrival for a group?
It can cut a long transfer and let the route start outside Seoul. Explera DMC Korea plans the coach and the route from the gateway.
