JEJU CITY: Jeju Island has long been known as a resort destination. Gov. Wi Seong-gon wants to turn it from a place to visit into a place to stay, with particular emphasis on safety.
As the island draws a growing number of international visitors, Wi is seeking to position Jeju Island as a destination where travellers spend more time, venture beyond its famous attractions and engage with local communities.
“Our goal is to encourage visitors to stay longer, making Jeju a place where they want to spend more time and return to,” Wi said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. “To achieve that, we will address tourism offerings, living conditions and convenience, as well as safety, in an integrated way.”
Since taking office on July 1 this year, Wi has made transforming Jeju Island into what his administration calls “a tourist capital where everyone can feel happy on the island” one of his administration’s key goals.
The strategy comes as international visitation to Jeju Island continues to grow. As of July, the number of international visitors to the island had risen 15.1 per cent on-year to 1.47 million. The share of foreign visitors returning to Jeju Island also rose from 8.9 per cent in 2023 to 11.4 per cent in 2025.
As Jeju Island encourages visitors to explore more remote and less familiar parts of the island, safety has become an increasingly important part of its tourism strategy.
The province’s efforts come amid public concerns over the handling of recent missing person reports. Alongside addressing unverified rumours surrounding those cases, Jeju Island is strengthening safety measures so that visitors can explore the island with greater confidence, particularly in areas where access to emergency assistance may be limited.
The province now operates more than 19,000 cameras and 2,764 emergency bells. With 23.9 cameras per 1,000 residents, Jeju Island has nearly twice the local-government average of 12.3, Wi said.
“Visitors can also report emergencies through guide apps such as Olle Pass, and we plan to strengthen patrols,” Wi said.
Jeju Island is expanding the use of artificial intelligence and drones as well, particularly in mountainous and coastal areas and along the Olle trails. AI-powered systems help monitor people, vehicles and other safety risks, while drones support searches for missing people and crowd management at events.
“Through the AI-powered security and safety patrol unit operated by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Police Department, which operates separately from the national police force, we are strengthening on-site policing activities,” Wi said.
The share of cameras equipped with AI is expected to rise from 58 per cent to 75 per cent by 2030.
The province plans to establish a new body to improve information sharing and joint responses among agencies during missing person cases and other emergencies. An integrated response manual is scheduled to be implemented in September.
Together, these measures are intended to ensure that wider access to Jeju Island’s local communities is matched by stronger protection for visitors.
Foreign visitors are increasingly venturing beyond major tourist attractions, cycling through neighbourhoods lined with stone walls, trying local restaurants and exploring historic sites that tell the story of the island’s turbulent modern history. As visitors move farther from the island’s tourist centres, the provincial government is seeking to connect them more closely with local communities.
“We are running Kareum Stay, Jeju’s integrated village tourism brand, which allows visitors to stay in villages and dine at restaurants operated by local residents,” Wi said.
Taking its name from the local dialectal word for a small village, the programme connects travellers with locally led tours and hands-on activities, allowing them to experience Jeju Island through the eyes of people who know the villages best. - Korea Herald/ANN
“Even when people speak different languages, older residents of Jeju’s small villages can naturally interact with foreign tourists as they walk, make things and share meals together,” Wi added.
Wi also highlighted haenyeo as an example of the island’s cultural appeal beyond its natural attractions. Haenyeo — female free divers — have traditionally made a living by diving without oxygen tanks to harvest seafood.
“Haenyeo culture is not simply a set of diving skills. It is a living heritage of Jeju that embodies the wisdom of living in harmony with nature, community solidarity and the strong lives of Jeju women,” he said.
Foreign visitors to the Jeju Haenyeo Museum had risen about 73 per cent from a year earlier to 43,838 as of August, while many international tourists are also taking part in haenyeo experiences offered in local villages.
To make these less-familiar areas easier to reach, the province is working to improve bus connections that centre on the airport and allow visitors to pay fares with international cards, addressing complaints that it is difficult to get around without a car.
“In the mid to long term, we will expand transportation options, including public transit, walking and cycling, to make car-free travel on Jeju a reality,” Wi said.
Beyond attracting visitors to individual sites, Wi wants Jeju Island to become a place where people can stay, work and experience everyday life for longer periods.
Building on these efforts, Wi hopes to establish the island as a global wellness tourism destination where visitors can combine longer stays with rest and recovery through nature and local culture.
“Jeju is a place where resources that help people recover both physically and mentally are woven into everyday life, from forests, volcanic cones and the sea to the living culture of its villages,” Wi said. “We will use these resources to develop stay-based tourism that allows visitors to experience Jeju through its nature, food and culture.”
Jeju Island is already attracting digital nomads.
“As of August, three public 'workation' sites had attracted 3,051 people from 693 companies, showing strong demand,” Wi said. “The number of users of private workation programmes also stood at 262.”
The province is seeking to expand the concept beyond work.
On Aug. 28, the provincial government signed an agreement with Jeju National University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and other institutions to develop cooperation models that would allow people to study remotely while staying and relaxing on Jeju Island, Wi said.
The province plans to extend these longer-stay opportunities to foreign residents as well.
“We are already publishing the ‘Guidebook for Living in Jeju for Foreign Residents,’ which provides comprehensive information on daily life for foreign residents on Jeju in five languages,” Wi said.
“We will make tourism, transportation and medical information, as well as reservations and payments, easier to access in multiple languages, while improving transportation information and overall mobility.”
