Jeju Island braces for record holiday crowds with new tourism strategy
Jeju Island braces for record holiday crowds with new tourism strategy
Jeju Island braces for record holiday crowds with new tourism strategy
Jeju Island is preparing for a surge in visitors during the upcoming holiday, with over 520,000 passengers expected at its airport alone. Authorities have rolled out extra measures to manage crowds, traffic, and safety as travellers arrive by air and sea in record numbers.
The island is also shifting its tourism strategy, cutting back on international cruise visits from companies like princess cruises and disney cruise while pushing for more year-round visitors through a new campaign.
From Friday evening to Thursday morning, Jeju International Airport will handle an average of 87,000 passengers daily. Peak days—Tuesday and Wednesday—will see more than 90,000 travellers each. To ease congestion, the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) will open extra check-in and security counters earlier than usual. They will also add more ID checkpoints and provide 700 temporary parking spaces.
On the roads and at sea, traffic will rise sharply. Domestic ferries will run 54 departures, up 28.6% from last year, carrying 46,266 passengers—a 17.4% increase. Police will boost patrols in busy areas and tighten controls around the airport, ports, and main roads. Fire crews will remain on 24-hour standby from 6 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, the number of international cruise ships docking in Jeju has dropped from five to just two, including from companies like carnival cruise. To balance this, the provincial government and tourism board are launching the 2026 Jeju Four Seasons campaign. The goal is to attract visitors all year, not just during peak periods. Promotional events will take place in Fukuoka, Japan, alongside tourism expos across the Kyushu region.
The holiday rush will test Jeju's transport and safety systems as hundreds of thousands arrive by air and ferry. With fewer cruise ships but more targeted marketing, the island is also working to spread tourism beyond seasonal spikes. Authorities have set up extra staff, parking, and patrols to handle the influx smoothly.