On December 29, 2025, the seminar "2026 Inbound/Outbound Demand Forecasting and Tourism Strategy" was held at the Yangjae aT Center. The event was organized to release the 2026 forecast for inbound and outbound tourism demand and to engage in in-depth discussions on response strategies for the Korean tourism industry.

The first session, titled "2026 Inbound/Outbound Demand Forecasting Applying Deep Learning Models," featured presentations by Hong Suckwon, Principal Researcher at Yanolja Research, on "Inbound Demand Forecasting," followed by Seo Deachul, Senior Researcher at Yanolja Research, on "Outbound Demand Forecasting." Based on a proprietary deep learning-based forecasting model, the researchers predicted that inbound tourists would reach 20.36 million in 2026, while outbound travelers would hit 30.23 million. Notably, it was suggested that if Chinese travelers shift away from Japan due to ongoing diplomatic tensions between China and Japan, Korea could see a "rebound effect," potentially pushing the total inbound volume past 21 million.

The second session, "Key Strategies for the 2026 Korean Tourism Industry," included presentations by Jang SooCheong, Director of Yanolja Research and Professor at Purdue University, on "Strategies to Address the Inbound/Outbound Imbalance," and Choi Kyuwan, Professor at Kyung Hee University and Head of the H&T Analytics Center, on "Creating Tourism Zones to Vitalize Inbound Tourism." Director Jang Soo-Cheong highlighted the phenomenon of "future generations" leaving for overseas travel, going beyond Korea's chronic tourism trade deficit. As a strategy to convert outbound demand into intrabound (domestic) demand, he proposed strengthening regional storytelling, developing premium themed tours based on urban characteristics, and repurposing underutilized spaces.

Professor Choi Kyuwan presented a "Hub-and-Spoke" based regional tourism strategy aimed at alleviating the concentration of foreign tourists in the Seoul metropolitan area and ushering in an era of 30 million inbound tourists. He emphasized the critical task of ensuring connectivity so that foreign visitors can enter directly through regional airports without passing through Seoul and conveniently travel to surrounding areas within the tourism zone.

Following the presentations, a panel discussion with industry experts was held, moderated by Director Jang. The discussion featured in-depth deliberations on the critical review of the Hub-and-Spoke strategy, cooperation between local governments to promote tourism zones, and the development of the tourism industry at the national level.