A growing number of foreign business travelers are extending their stays in South Korea by a day or two to sightsee. "Bleisure" — a blend of business and leisure — is taking hold as a new travel pattern, and tourism authorities and travel companies in Korea and elsewhere are rolling out programs and lodging perks to keep visitors longer.
Among foreigners who attended international meetings and conventions held in Korea last year, 41.1% traveled or took part in tourism activities outside the host city, the Korea Tourism Organization said on the 13th. That was up 11.4 percentage points from 29.7% in 2024, indicating a sharp one-year increase in attendees who ventured beyond the host city after their meetings ended.
The tourism industry is focusing on bleisure because extending the stay of foreigners who are already in the country for work can generate additional spending on lodging, meals and shopping. Market research firm Allied Market Research projects the global bleisure market will grow at an average annual rate of 8.9%, more than doubling from $315.3 billion in 2022 to $731.4 billion in 2032.
The global popularity of Korean culture is also driving more business trips to the country, a boost for the domestic tourism industry. Seoul ranked seventh among the world's most popular business destinations, according to TripBiz, the corporate travel brand of Trip.com Group. Weekday business lodging bookings in Seoul rose 67% from a year earlier between January and June this year.
Some organizers are running bleisure programs timed to major academic conferences and other international events held in Korea. One example is the program Seoul city government prepared for participants in the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) 2026, held at COEX in the Gangnam district in July. The city designed a total of 40 programs, ranging from viewing night scenery aboard a Han River bus and sampling convenience store instant noodles to touring Seoul Sky, Seokchon Lake and traditional markets. For participants traveling with families, it also offered courses covering Gyeongbokgung Palace and Insadong, Namdaemun Market and Gwangjang Market, and the National Museum of Korea. About 20,000 people took part in the programs, according to the conference organizing committee.
In some cases, integrated itineraries combining work and tourism are built in from the planning stage. Last month, Seoul invited officials from Japanese startups, business groups and media outlets for a three-day, two-night corporate workation program. After remote work and seminars in Magok, participants toured the nearby Seoul Botanic Park and joined a Korean cooking class. The itinerary also included visits to Hongdae and the Seoul Moon observation balloon in Yeouido.
Gangneung is also working to turn attendees of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress, to be held at Gangneung Olympic Park from the 19th to the 23rd this month, into local tourists. The city plans to include the Gangneung Coffee Festival, running from the 21st to the 25th alongside the congress, as an official cultural event so foreign attendees can enjoy the local festival.
Programs that take attendees outside the host city are also being arranged. The organizing committee of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) World Congress, to be held in Incheon from the 19th to the 21st this month, will run a three-day, two-night familiarization tour after the event in cooperation with the Busan Tourism Organization and the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Bureau. Participants will take in coastal scenery at the Blue Line Park in Busan's Haeundae district, then sip tea and sample traditional sweets at a hanok teahouse on Dalmaji-gil overlooking the sea at Cheongsapo. In Gyeongju, they are scheduled to visit Bulguksa Temple and the Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond site.
The Korea Tourism Organization also runs bleisure tourism programs for foreigners attending MICE events — meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. Of those who attended 25 MICE events held nationwide last year, 1,620 joined tourism and hands-on programs, and more than 2,300 are expected to participate this year.
The organization has also stepped up support for regional visits by foreign corporate meeting and incentive travel groups. This year, it is offering additional benefits to groups that stay at least one night in non-capital regions excluding Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Depending on group size, it also covers admission fees to tourist sites, costs for cultural and hands-on programs, and charter bus rental fees in the provinces. Last month, it attracted an incentive travel group of about 1,400 people, including employees of Herbalife India. The group toured Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village and Myeongdong in Seoul, and traveled as far as Gangwon State.
Some say there is an urgent need to develop inbound travel agencies that can turn rising tourism demand into actual products. "There is demand among international conference attendees to enjoy tourism before and after meetings, but there are not many inbound travel agencies that can run regional tourism and hands-on programs timed to event schedules," an industry official said. "The challenge is developing products that can energize tourism in line with growing demand."
Demand for adding personal travel to business trips is spreading worldwide. Bookings by global business travelers who added a personal trip immediately after their work travel ended — within zero to one day — rose 30% from a year earlier this year, according to TripBiz. Users who added personal travel within seven days of finishing a business trip extended their stays by an average of 3.4 days.
Authorities abroad are offering perks of their own to encourage sightseeing by international conference attendees. The Singapore Tourism Board, working with 22 local hotels, discounts room rates for up to five days before and after an event for attendees who meet certain conditions. It has also prepared more than 30 tourism programs, including a Chinatown mission tour and food technology experiences. In Barcelona, Spain, participants in the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 audiovisual and systems integration trade show in February received 50% off admission to the Picasso Museum and 20% off flamenco performance and dining packages.