Fall foliage destinations see sharp increase in web traffic as int'l visitors plan excursions

Fall foliage spots are gaining immense popularity from international tourists visiting Korea this autumn, according to web traffic data from Klook, a tourism platform, on Wednesday.

Mount Seorak — a key fall foliage destination in Korea — was particularly popular, according to the data. In October, web traffic to Mount Seorak National Park’s homepage promoting tourist packages increased 119 percent month-on-month, with the top searches coming from Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, the United States and Hong Kong.

Demand for express bus services to Sokcho, a city with easy access to Mount Seorak, also increased significantly. Klook searches for express buses from Seoul to Sokcho increased 7 percent month-on-month and 111 percent year-on-year.

Among Mount Seorak-related tourism packages, the most popular were a day tour departing from Seoul early in the morning to admire the fall foliage via cable car, and a tour to Naksansa Temple, which combines the autumn foliage with Sokcho's ocean views.

The activities page for Nami Island, another popular fall foliage destination, also saw a 115 percent month-on-month traffic increase in October.

“The number of international tourists seeking Korea's natural and seasonal tourism content, including fall foliage, is steadily increasing,” said Lee Jun-ho, general manager of Klook Korea. “We are organically connecting transportation, accommodations and activities to help international tourists discover Korea's diverse travel destinations more easily.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]