Kang Jae-hyun (28), residing in Mapo-gu, Seoul, embarked on a four-day journey to Japan accompanied by a companion. Rather than venturing into bustling metropolises such as Tokyo or Osaka, they opted for less frequented destinations—Toyama and Kanazawa—in north-central Japan. These cities have populations of roughly 400,000 each. “Major Japanese cities are brimming with Korean visitors,” remarked Kang. “What I desired was a more tranquil setting where I could fully immerse myself in the local ambiance.”

In the previous year, approximately 29 million South Korean citizens embarked on international trips. Many of these tourists prefer exploring off-the-beaten-path locations that remain relatively undiscovered by mainstream travel trends. In response to this preference, airlines have initiated services connecting major hubs with smaller towns and underexplored areas. As competition among different air carriers intensifies, gaining an early foothold in emerging markets through exclusive rights to lucrative new routes has turned into a key strategic objective.

Japanese smaller urban centers exemplify this pattern effectively. Data from the airline industry indicates that among 19 municipalities in Japan experiencing growth in air travel last year relative to 2019—the period preceding the health crisis—thirteen had populations below one million inhabitants.

In 2019, Miyako Island (Miyakojima), which is part of the Okinawa Prefecture, saw only six flights originating from South Korea as reported by the Incheon International Airport Corporation on April 3rd. However, last year, this figure skyrocketed to 308 flights, representing over a fiftyfold growth. As for this year, between January and March, there were already 128 flights conducted along this route.

Likewise, Matsuyama, a city with approximately 510,000 inhabitants in Japan’s Shikoku region, experienced an increase in flight numbers from 376 in 2019 to 1,074 in the previous year.

Easterjet was the first South Korean airline to launch services to Tokushima, a Japanese city home to around 250,000 people located in eastern Shikoku. During the initial quarter of this year, there were 82 trips conducted on this particular route, with passenger utilization standing at 74% in January and climbing up to 91% in February. “A majority of Koreans aren’t familiar with Tokushima,” commented an Easterjet representative. “However, these high booking rates demonstrate that tourists are keen on exploring offbeat locations.”

According to data provided by Kyowon Tour, bookings for smaller Japanese cities made up 22.5% of total reservations destined for Japan during the initial three months of this year.

This trend isn’t limited to Japan; smaller cities across Southeast and Central Asia are seeing similar growth. Starting in May, T’way Air plans to introduce a new service to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Traditionally, travel to Uzbekistan centered around historic sites such as Samarkand and Bukhara along the Silk Road. However, this new flight path targets tourists interested in exploring the nation’s less familiar contemporary scene.

In April, Jin Air launched a new route to Zhengzhou, a significant inland metropolis in China. Back in October, Jeju Air initiated regular service to Batam, an Indonesian island city located within the Riau Islands archipelago. While most South Koreans traveling to Indonesia tend to go to Bali or Jakarta, Jeju Air believes there is promise in developing Batam as an emerging destination.