Jeju Island’s Summer Tourism Skyrockets as Visitors Flock for Big Savings

By summer arrival Jeju Island, Korea’s most popular vacation haven, is enjoying a dramatic rebound in tourist numbers after a languid first half of 2025. From January 1 up to July 22, 2025, the island saw 7.1 million arrivals based on most recent figures from the Jeju Tourism Association. While numbers were down 5.9% on the previous year, a boost in the numbers of people visiting the country for holiday, as the summer holiday season peaks, suggested the figures would improve. For much of 2025, Jeju struggled to attract visitors. From January to May, the island experienced a series of declines in tourist arrivals, with February seeing a dramatic 18.2% drop and March following suit with a 13.9% decline. April and May continued the downward trend, though at a slower pace, with declines of 7.4% and 1.2%, respectively. These dips were partly attributed to the lingering effects of the controversial “fatty black pork” scandal in April 2024, which saw restaurants serving pork bellies with excessive fat. This controversy caused a wave of dissatisfaction among domestic travelers, contributing to the decline in visitor numbers to Jeju. However, June marked a significant turning point, with Jeju experiencing a slight uptick in visitors. The island saw a 0.7% increase in tourism in June compared to the previous month. July followed suit with a more substantial surge, with visitor numbers rising by 7.4%. This recent positive trend is seen as a promising sign for Jeju’s tourism industry as it heads into the busier months of summer