The COVID-19 pandemic caused an all-time high of 13.59 million Koreans to travel to the southern resort island of Jeju, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.
Over 99% out of the 13.68 million visitors to Jeju between January 1 and December 25 were local tourists. This is an increase of around 16% compared to the same time last year.
Jeju Island is the largest volcanic island in Korea and has the honour of having been voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Some of the top tourist sites include the vastly diverse species of flora and fauna in Hallasan National Park and the breathtaking views of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak.
Now domestic traveller numbers reached an all-time high, breaking the previous record of 13.56 million set in 2019.
As the pandemic continued to deter visitors from abroad, the association claimed that waves of domestic tourists on individual or package tours, as well as students on field excursions, flew into Jeju after the social distance regulations were relaxed early this year.
Between 2012 and 2014, the number of domestic visitors to Jeju every year stayed at the 8 million to 10 million level. This first occurred in 2015.
Since then, the number has continuously increased, reaching 13.56 in 2019 before dropping below the 12-million mark in 2021 as a result of the pandemic.