Yanolja Research, in partnership with Purdue University’s CHRIBA Institute and Kyung Hee University’s H&T Analytics Center, will co-host a seminar titled “Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations Based on Traveler Sentiment.” The event will be held on Wednesday, November 26 at 1:30 p.m. in the Segyero Room on the 3rd floor of the aT Center in Seoul.

The seminar comes at a critical moment. Despite signs of recovery in Korea’s tourism sector after the pandemic, outbound travel by Korean residents has surged, widening the country’s tourism deficit to an estimated USD 10 billion in 2024. In response, the research team sought to examine the current landscape of domestic tourism assets and, in particular, to identify undervalued or undiscovered resources in regions that have yet to benefit from tourism revitalization.

To do so, the team developed a new evaluation model that moves beyond traditional supply-driven approaches. Leveraging large-scale social data—from blogs and news to online communities—the model analyzes popularity and sentiment to capture travelers’ real experiences and emotions. The results of this model, which identifies Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations, will be unveiled at the seminar for the first time.

■ Program Highlights

The seminar features research presentations and a panel discussion, offering new perspectives on the future of Korean tourism.

• Presentation I: Developing the Evaluation Model for Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations
   - Speaker: SooCheong Jang, Director of Yanolja Research / Professor, Purdue University
   - This session provides an in-depth explanation of the objective evaluation model, detailing methods such as municipal tourism-asset screening and social-data-based popularity and sentiment analysis.

• Presentation II: Findings from the 2025 Evaluation of Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations
   - Speaker: Kyuwan Choi, Professor, College for Hotel & Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University / Director, H&T Analytics Center
   - This presentation highlights top-ranked tourism assets across regions, resource types, and consumer segments, offering a fresh look at Korea’s most compelling destinations.

• Panel Discussion
   - Experts will discuss strategies to enhance tourism competitiveness nationwide, grounded in traveler feedback and data-driven evaluation.

Yanolja Research Director SooCheong(Shawn) Jang noted, “This seminar is significant because it shifts the focus from physical infrastructure to travelers’ emotions and lived experiences,” adding that “our data-driven, objective analysis will offer new insights to strengthen Korea’s tourism competitiveness and support balanced regional development.”

■ Registration

The seminar is open to industry professionals, researchers, local government officials, and tourism policy experts. Participants may register online until 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25 via the event page(https://event-us.kr/yanoljaresearchevent/event/115267).