(SOUTH KOREA) — The South Korean government announced a visa-free trial for Indonesian group tourists on Wednesday as it pushed a strategy to attract 30 million inbound visitors by 2028.
The plan offers visa-free entry to Indonesian group tourists of three or more people on a trial basis, and it also expands longer-validity multiple-entry visa options for repeat visitors from China and Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia.
Officials paired the visa measures with steps aimed at speeding up arrivals at airports, adding flights to regional destinations, and tightening enforcement against practices that can sour visitor experiences, as South Korea competes for post-pandemic travelers in Asia.
South Korea’s tourism recovery has gathered pace after the pandemic, and the government framed the latest package as part of a broader effort to turn that rebound into sustained growth through to 2028, when it wants to reach 30 million inbound visitors.
Policymakers pointed to the rise in arrivals as evidence of demand. South Korea recorded 18 million inbound visitors in 2025, up 15% from 2024 and exceeding the pre-pandemic peak of 17 million, though the country still trailed Japan’s boom.
Wednesday’s measures were unveiled at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok chaired the meeting, which was attended by President Lee Jae Myung, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, and representatives from 15 government agencies.
The visa-free trial forms a central part of the push, with Indonesia singled out for group travel. Under the plan, the visa-free entry applies to Indonesian group tourists of three or more, and the government described it as a trial basis measure.
Alongside that change, South Korea widened multiple-entry visa pathways for travelers from China and Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia. Citizens of those countries who have previously visited South Korea qualify for 5-year multiple-entry visas.
Another layer of the policy targets residents of major cities in those countries. Under the measures, residents of major cities can apply for 10-year visas.
The package creates a tiered approach: a visa-free trial for Indonesian group tours meeting a minimum group size, and longer-validity multiple-entry visas for those with prior travel history or who live in major cities. South Korea did not describe in the announcement how it would define “major cities” or how “previously visited” would be verified for applicants.
Even when entry is visa-free under the group trial, travelers still pass through border checks on arrival. The government’s broader strategy also focuses on capacity at entry points, linking tourism growth targets with changes intended to move people through airports more quickly.
One of the operational steps involves automated immigration gates. South Korea said it would expand automated immigration gates to European Union nationals, widening access beyond the current coverage.
Officials said automated gates were previously limited to 18 nations like Japan, Singapore, and Australia. The expansion to European Union nationals marks a significant broadening in the scope of who can use the gates, as South Korea tries to reduce congestion as visitor numbers climb.
The government also tied tourism growth to air connectivity beyond the capital, setting out steps to increase direct international flights to regional airports. The measures include dedicated air traffic rights and fee reductions, a combination officials framed as a way to bring more overseas visitors into different parts of the country.
South Korea also included consumer-protection and visitor-experience enforcement in the package, announcing a crackdown on price gouging and aggressive touting. The government said the effort aimed to benefit regional economies, aligning enforcement with the push to send more visitors to regional destinations.
Visitor numbers underpinned much of the policy rationale. The country’s 18 million inbound visitors in 2025 represented a recovery that surpassed the pre-pandemic high of 17 million, but the government still set a far higher benchmark: 30 million inbound visitors by 2028.
The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) put a near-term marker on that path. Park Sung-hyeuck, CEO of the Korea Tourism Organization, projected 22 million visitors in 2026, which he described as 17.6% growth.
Park said the strategy aimed for 16% annual growth to hit 30 million by 2028, with localized marketing tied to K-culture forming part of how the organization planned to pursue the goal.
Indonesia’s role in the overall visitor mix also featured in the announcement. Officials cited Indonesians as the largest group in 2024 with over 8 million visitors, linking that prominence to the new focus on group travel through the visa-free trial.
The choice to set a minimum group size of three or more for Indonesians creates a clear incentive structure for tour operators and travelers who plan leisure trips in groups. By limiting the visa-free trial to group tourists, the policy targets organized travel patterns while still keeping an eligibility boundary.
The multiple-entry visa expansions, meanwhile, aim at repeat travel behavior. A 5-year multiple-entry visa for travelers who have previously visited South Korea reduces the need for re-application for those who return, while the 10-year visa option for residents of major cities extends that horizon further.
South Korea folded the visa and entry changes into a wider multi-year tourism campaign. The government announced a “Visit Korea Year” campaign from 2027-2029, promoting K-beauty, K-food, K-hiking, and local experiences as part of a push to broaden what it markets to international travelers.
The campaign timing also places the marketing drive alongside the accelerated target year of 2028 for reaching 30 million inbound visitors, tying a branded promotional push to the numeric goal set out in the government’s strategy.
By gathering 15 government agencies at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting, South Korea signaled that the tourism goal would involve more than one ministry. The attendance list—President Lee Jae Myung, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok—underscored the top-level political backing for the package.
The measures also show South Korea bundling policy levers that affect distinct parts of the travel journey: visas and eligibility rules before departure, airport processing on arrival through automated gates, and internal travel options through more direct flights to regional airports.
Enforcement against price gouging and aggressive touting forms another pillar, aimed at shaping the on-the-ground experience for visitors and, in the government’s framing, supporting regional economies as more tourism flows beyond the main gateways.
South Korea’s emphasis on expanding access to automated immigration gates reflects the practical challenge of processing more travelers as inbound totals rise. By explicitly naming European Union nationals as newly covered, the government pointed to a specific shift in who can use faster lanes as arrivals grow.
The plan’s focus on regional airports similarly aligns with the objective of spreading tourism geographically. Dedicated air traffic rights and fee reductions are designed to increase direct international flights to regional airports, potentially reducing reliance on the main entry hubs while encouraging travel to more local destinations.
Park’s projection of 22 million visitors in 2026 provides an intermediate benchmark between the 2025 rebound and the 2028 target, and the stated aim of 16% annual growth lays out how South Korea’s tourism authorities see a path from current levels to 30 million inbound visitors.
For travelers and tour operators, the visa-free trial and multiple-entry visa changes set out a set of new options with different eligibility thresholds. Indonesians traveling in groups of three or more may benefit from lower pre-departure friction under the visa-free trial, while repeat visitors from China and Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, can seek multi-year multiple-entry visas.
Taken together, South Korea’s measures show a tourism policy package aimed at lifting total arrivals, improving throughput at borders, and increasing access to destinations beyond the capital, as the country competes with other regional destinations for post-pandemic travel flows on the road to 30 million inbound visitors by 2028.
South Korea Launches Visa-Free Trial for Indonesians in 30 Million Visitor Push
South Korea’s new tourism roadmap targets 30 million annual visitors by 2028 through eased visa rules for Indonesia, China, and Southeast Asia. The plan includes a visa-free trial for Indonesian groups and 10-year visas for major city residents. Additional measures focus on airport efficiency, regional flight expansion, and consumer protection to ensure a high-quality experience for international travelers across the entire country.
