Yanolja Research Unveils the First “Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations Based on Traveler Sentiment”
Social big-data–based sentiment analysis identifies a wide range of “hidden regional destinations”
Yanolja Research (Director: SooCheong(Shawn) Jang) officially released the first “Korea's Top 500 Tourist Destinations Based on Traveler Sentiment” at a seminar held on the 26th at the aT Center, Seoul, South Korea. This study introduces a new evaluation model that moves beyond traditional visitor-volume metrics and instead reflects travelers’ actual emotional and experiential assessments. The project was jointly conducted with Purdue University’s CHRIBA Institute and Kyung Hee University’s H&T Analytics Center, analyzing 16,745 destinations across 229 local governments. The final 500 were selected through a combined assessment of social-buzz volume, sentiment analysis, and expert validation.
The research stems from the recognition that existing evaluation systems—often centered on visitor counts or navigation-search data—reinforce a “Matthew Effect,” repeatedly spotlighting already well-known destinations. To address this imbalance, the research team collaborated with VAIV, Korea’s largest social big-data company, to collect data from major platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and blogs over the past year. The team developed a proprietary assessment model that assigns equal weight (50:50) to mention volume (popularity) and positive-sentiment ratio (satisfaction).
According to the results, Gwangalli Beach in Busan ranked No. 1 in the overall sentiment-based assessment. The top tier (1st Tier) also included: ▲ No. 2 Haeundae Beach (Busan), ▲ No. 3 Lotte World (Seoul), ▲ No. 4 Everland (Yongin, Gyeonggi Province), ▲ No. 5 Gyeongbokgung Palace (Seoul).
By category, natural-landscape destinations accounted for the largest share of the 500 (40%), followed by historical-cultural sites (36%) and entertainment-oriented destinations (24%). This distribution suggests a growing preference for nature-based restorative travel experiences.
Regionally, Seoul demonstrated strong competitiveness through its concentration of historical-cultural assets, including Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, and the National Museum of Korea. Gangwon and Jeju featured prominently with their exceptional natural resources, while Busan’s combination of marine attractions and urban entertainment contributed to a high proportion of top-tier destinations—reinforcing its status as the leading tourism hub in southern Korea.
During the keynote presentation, Director SooCheong(Shawn) Jang stated, “Traditional awareness-based evaluations have limited our ability to identify lesser-known but high-potential destinations. The significance of this list lies in uncovering ‘small but strong’ destinations—places that may lack visibility yet deliver consistently high satisfaction.”
In the policy-focused session, Professor Kyuwan Choi of Kyung Hee University emphasized, “Mapping integrated tourism zones that connect hub cities such as Seoul and Busan with surrounding spoke cities is a critical strategy for dispersing international visitors beyond major metropolitan areas. A systematic inter-regional linkage structure is essential to achieving sustainable tourism decentralization.”
A panel discussion followed, moderated by Director Jang with participation from Eun-Young Kim (VAIV company), Jin-Joo Kang (Travel Writer), Si-Eon Kim (Chuncheon City Tourism Division), Joon-Gyoon Mok (Incheon Tourism Organization), and Jae-Moon Byun (Sejong University).
The panel examined topics including data reliability, regional tourism imbalance, and the practical and commercial applications of the 500-destination index.
In his opening remarks, Director Jang noted, “While outbound travel by Korean residents has surged since the pandemic, the recovery of inbound tourism has been markedly slower, intensifying a structural asymmetry. We expect the ‘500 Korean Tourist Destinations’ to serve as a reliable guide for travelers and a decision-support tool for local governments and the tourism industry—ultimately acting as a catalyst for revitalizing domestic tourism.”
Yanolja Research added that it plans to release updated rankings annually to reflect evolving travel trends and to expand collaboration with local governments and private platforms for active utilization in regional-tourism development.
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