Jeju authorities get ready with 245,000 visitors expected to arrive during Lunar New Year holiday
Published: 14 Feb. 2026, 12:00
![People line up at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on July 25, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/14/9efe9015-389c-4c16-8a5f-7f1d5247c7f6.jpg)
People line up at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on July 25, 2025. [YONHAP]
More than 245,000 travelers are projected to visit Jeju during the Lunar New Year holiday from Saturday to Wednesday, with expanded flights and ferry services, prompting local authorities to prepare for congestion.
This year’s projected visitor count during the holiday period is up 6 percent from 231,161 recorded during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday from Jan. 25 to 30, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.
Industry officials attribute the increase in part to an increase in scheduled flights, noting that frequent weather-related cancellations disrupted travel during last year’s holiday.
Daily arrivals are projected at 43,000 apiece on Friday and Saturday, rising to 46,000 on Sunday, the busiest day of the holiday. The figure will then fall to 36,000 on Monday, 38,000 on Tuesday and 39,000 on Wednesday. Domestic flights will total 1,263 during the holiday period, an 8.5 percent increase from a year earlier. International flights will reach 171, up 37.9 percent. Domestic seats will total 245,234, up 11.7 percent, while international seats will reach 31,655, up 38.7 percent.
The Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) projects an average of about 87,000 arriving and departing passengers per day at Jeju International Airport, for a total of roughly 520,000 over the holiday. More than 90,000 passengers are expected on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sea travel will also increase. Domestic ferry services will operate 54 departures, up 28.6 percent from last year, following the resumption of the Mokpo–Jeju route by the Queen Jenuvia 2. Domestic ferry services are projected to serve 46,266 passengers, up 17.4 percent, while the number of international cruise ships visiting Jeju will drop from five to two.
![A Jeju Air flight is seen at Jeju International Airport in Jeju on Dec. 30, 2024. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/14/f33b61a9-e76b-4004-812f-3274a3bd71cb.jpg)
A Jeju Air flight is seen at Jeju International Airport in Jeju on Dec. 30, 2024. [NEWS1]
The Jeju provincial government, police and airport authorities have launched special measures to manage crowds and ensure safety.
The KAC will operate a special transportation task force, open departure screening counters and check-in counters earlier, install additional identification checkpoints and secure 700 temporary parking spaces.
The Jeju Provincial Police Agency will conduct enhanced patrols in crowded areas such as Nuwemaru Street in Yeon-dong and Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market in Seogwipo. Police will strengthen traffic control around the airport, ports and major roads including Pyeonghwa and Beonyeong streets.
Fire authorities will keep crews on standby around the clock from 6 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Thursday.
The Jeju provincial government and the Jeju Tourism Organization, meanwhile, will use the holiday as a starting point for the 2026 Jeju Four Seasons campaign, a yearlong tourism promotion campaign launched by Jeju to encourage travel throughout all four seasons through marketing events and international outreach programs.
Jeju authorities are planning promotional events in Fukuoka, Japan to strengthen the direct Jeju–Fukuoka route and take part in tourism expos across the Kyushu region.
“This year, Jeju reached 1 million cumulative visitors on Jan. 28, the earliest date in the past three years,” a source from Jeju said. “We will concentrate our efforts on turning the current momentum into sustained growth.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI CHOONG-IL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)