AirAsia MOVE South Korea: KTO Partnership Promotes Busan, Gyeongju and Jeju Over Seoul
AirAsia MOVE South Korea KTO partnership signed August 10, 2026 — AirAsia MOVE CEO Nadia Omer and KTO Managing Director Shin Jung Hun collaborate on destination-led campaigns promoting Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Gangneung, and Jeju as alternatives to Seoul.
AirAsia MOVE South Korea collaboration is now official — AirAsia MOVE has partnered with the Korea Tourism Organization to encourage international travellers to visit destinations beyond Seoul and support domestic tourism in South Korea.
The AirAsia MOVE South Korea announcement, made August 10, 2026, combines the Southeast Asia low-cost carrier’s booking platform with KTO’s destination expertise in a joint campaign targeting Malaysian and ASEAN travelers — including a limited-time promotion offering discounts on domestic flights and hotels in South Korea for bookings until December 6, 2026, for travel through March 31, 2027.
For Indian travelers, this is the second major Korea-beyond-Seoul initiative announced within a week — following KTO’s 50% discount on tourist taxis and city tour buses through HopnHop, GoHanpass, and Naver Maps — confirming that South Korea is running a coordinated August 2026 push to redirect international visitor spending away from Seoul and into regional destinations.
The Five Destinations: What KTO and AirAsia MOVE Are Promoting
The partnership will focus on destination-led campaigns and travel initiatives aimed at promoting destinations including Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Gangneung and Jeju.
These five destinations form the strongest regional Korea circuit in the country’s tourism portfolio — and each offers an experience profile distinctly different from Seoul’s urban, fashion, and technology-driven tourism.
Busan — Korea’s second city and most dynamic regional destination. Haeundae Beach, the Gamcheon Culture Village, Jagalchi fish market, and the Taejongdae cliff park anchor a city that blends port energy with beach resort leisure. The Busan International Film Festival in October makes it the cultural capital of Korean cinema. Busan is 2.5 hours from Seoul by KTX — the most accessible major regional city in Korea.
Gyeongju — The ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom, 1,000 years of Korean royal history concentrated in a single medium-sized city in North Gyeongsang Province. The UNESCO-listed Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, the tumuli royal tombs of the Daereungwon tomb complex, and the Cheomseongdae observatory make Gyeongju the most historically rich single destination in Korea.
Jeonju — Korea’s designated food capital and home of the most authentic bibimbap in the country. Jeonju Hanok Village — 700 preserved traditional Korean houses within a single neighbourhood — is Korea’s most visited non-Seoul cultural attraction. Makgeolli (traditional rice wine) made in Jeonju is Korea’s finest, and the city’s street food corridor inside the hanok village is extraordinary.
Gangneung — The Gangwon Province coastal city on the East Sea, famous for its coffee culture, the Gyeongpo Lake sunrise, Jeongdongjin beach rail resort, and proximity to the Korean ski fields. Gangneung gained international recognition as the host city for several 2018 Winter Olympics events. The city’s single-origin coffee scene — with cafes sourcing directly from Ethiopian and Colombian farms — has attracted Korean domestic coffee tourists and is a genuinely unique leisure destination.
Jeju — Korea’s volcanic island off the southern coast, the only Korean destination that requires a short domestic flight from Seoul or Busan. Jeju’s UNESCO triple-listed natural heritage (Hallasan volcano, lava tube caves, and tuff cone formations), the haenyeo diving women, Jeju black pork barbecue, and the dramatic coastal landscapes of Seongsan Ilchulbong make it Korea’s most complete natural and cultural destination outside the mainland.
The AirAsia MOVE Platform: What It Actually Offers
The collaboration would combine AirAsia MOVE’s regional travel platform with KTO’s destination expertise to improve awareness and accessibility of regional destinations in South Korea.
AirAsia MOVE is the superapp travel platform built from AirAsia’s loyalty and booking infrastructure — it functions as a combined flight booking engine, hotel booking platform, and activities and experiences marketplace available across Southeast Asia.
For the KTO partnership, MOVE’s commercial proposition is clear: AirAsia flies to Busan, Jeju, and Seoul Incheon from Kuala Lumpur and other ASEAN cities, and MOVE’s app and website can be used to book the full itinerary — flights into Korea, domestic flights between Korean cities, and hotels — in a single session.
The limited-time promotion marks the collaboration launch with discounts on domestic Korea flights and hotels when booked through MOVE before December 6, 2026. Travel validity extends to March 31, 2027 — covering Korea’s peak autumn foliage season (October-November), the winter ski season (December-February), and early spring ahead of the cherry blossom season.
AirAsia MOVE CEO Nadia Omer said: “For many of us, South Korea begins with Seoul. But the country’s true soul lies beyond the capital, in destinations like Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Gangneung and Jeju, each offering experiences that leave a lasting impression. South Korea has also become a cultural bridge through its stories, music and food, inspiring people across generations to experience the destination for themselves.”
KTO managing director Shin Jung Hun said the organisations would work together on joint marketing campaigns targeting Malaysian and Asean travellers. He said the partnership would leverage AirAsia’s flight network and MOVE’s platform to promote destinations across South Korea.
The Broader Korea Regional Push: Why August 2026
The AirAsia MOVE South Korea partnership is the latest in a series of KTO initiatives in August 2026 aimed at rebalancing international tourism toward regional Korea.
The context is clear: Seoul receives approximately 70–80% of all international tourists to Korea. The economic benefits of international tourism are highly concentrated in the capital — Myeongdong, Hongdae, the Gangnam district, and the major hotels around Gyeongbokgung Palace capture the majority of international visitor spending. Regional Korean cities see comparatively little of that economic flow.
The collaboration comes as South Korea seeks to attract more international visitors to destinations outside its main gateway cities and broaden the economic benefits of tourism to local communities.
The August 2026 KTO campaign suite — tourist taxi discounts through HopnHop, GoHanpass, and Naver Maps; the AirAsia MOVE domestic flight and hotel promotion; and ongoing regional marketing investment — is a coordinated effort to shift this balance through commercial incentives rather than simply awareness campaigns.
What This Means for Indian Travelers Planning Korea
The AirAsia MOVE South Korea partnership is primarily aimed at ASEAN travelers, but Indian travelers planning Korea trips benefit from the broader KTO regional push it is part of.
For Indian travelers, AirAsia does not operate direct Delhi or Mumbai to Seoul services — Air India, Korean Air, and Asiana are the primary direct India-Korea carriers. However, the KTO’s regional Korea messaging and the supporting infrastructure of tourist taxis, city tour buses, and domestic flight promotions are available regardless of which carrier you use to arrive.
The practical takeaway for Indian travelers visiting Korea in late 2026 or early 2027:
Book regional domestic Korea flights early. Korean Air and Jeju Air operate affordable domestic services — Seoul to Busan, Seoul to Jeju, and Seoul to Gangneung. These can be booked through koreanair.com, air.jejuair.net, or through MOVE if booked in conjunction with an AirAsia international leg.
Combine the KTO tourist taxi discount. The 50% off tourist taxi promotion through HopnHop runs until November 30 — use it for Gyeongju day trips and Jeonju hanok village access, which are most efficiently covered by tourist taxi rather than public transport.
Autumn season timing. October and November are Korea’s peak autumn foliage season — the forested hillsides around Gyeongju, the maple corridors of Seoraksan, and Jeju’s Hallasan colour transforms in October. Book accommodation in regional cities for autumn well in advance — these periods are popular with Korean domestic tourists and international visitors simultaneously.
Indian passport holders require a Korea visa. Apply through the Korean Embassy in New Delhi or Consulate in Chennai. Korean Won is required for cash purchases — UPI and international QR payments do not work in Korea. For travel insurance covering Korea trips, SafetyWing Nomad Insurance provides comprehensive coverage at affordable daily rates for Indian travelers.
FAQs — AirAsia MOVE South Korea 2026
Q: What did AirAsia MOVE and KTO announce on August 10, 2026?
AirAsia MOVE has partnered with the Korea Tourism Organization to encourage international travellers to visit destinations beyond Seoul and support domestic tourism in South Korea. The partnership will focus on destination-led campaigns and travel initiatives aimed at promoting destinations including Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Gangneung and Jeju. A limited-time launch promotion offers discounts on domestic South Korea flights and hotels through AirAsia MOVE for bookings until December 6, 2026 and travel through March 31, 2027.
Q: What is AirAsia MOVE and how does it support Korea travel?
AirAsia MOVE is Southeast Asia’s superapp travel platform built on AirAsia’s booking and loyalty infrastructure, covering flights, hotels, and experiences. For the KTO partnership, MOVE combines AirAsia’s Korea flight network — serving Busan and Seoul Incheon from Kuala Lumpur and ASEAN cities — with hotel and domestic transport booking in a single platform. The collaboration allows travelers to book the full Korea regional itinerary, from international arrival to domestic connections between Seoul, Busan, Jeju, and other cities, through one integrated interface.
Q: Why is South Korea pushing tourism to regional cities beyond Seoul?
South Korea seeks to attract more international visitors to destinations outside its main gateway cities and broaden the economic benefits of tourism to local communities. Seoul currently captures 70–80% of international visitor spending in Korea — leaving regional cities with disproportionately small shares of tourism revenue despite offering some of the country’s most distinctive cultural, historical, and natural experiences. The KTO’s regional campaign suite in August 2026, including the AirAsia MOVE partnership and tourist taxi discounts, aims to rebalance this distribution through commercial incentives.
Final Word
The AirAsia MOVE South Korea partnership announced August 10 is the commercial distribution component of KTO’s broader regional Korea push — pairing destination marketing with actual booking infrastructure to make Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Gangneung, and Jeju easier to reach, book, and afford than ever before. For Indian travelers who have done Seoul on a previous Korea trip and want to see what Nadia Omer rightly called “the country’s true soul,” this combination of tourist taxi discounts, domestic flight promotions, and KTO destination investment in August 2026 is the best practical access package regional Korea has offered.
Also Read:
- South Korea Tourist Taxi 2026 — KTO 50% Off Until November 30
- South Korea Workcation Visa — 3 Years, Lower Income Rules
- Vietnam Tourism India 2026 — VNAT Signs VFS Global MoU
Official Sources:
Aaseem Bhardwaj is a journalist, seasoned traveler and IT professional based in India. With firsthand travel experience across Southeast Asia, East Asia, Middle East and Europe, Aaseem founded Travel Man Today to provide reliable visa updates and travel news for Indian passport holders. He has personally traveled to Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, UAE and Europe. Follow his travel vlogs on YouTube at @travelmantoday
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