In the age of TripAdvisor, travel agencies get creative to court Gen Z

Travelers pose for a photo before boarding a paraglider during a package tour organized by the travel agency Jigu-noriter. [JIGU-NORITER]  

Burned out from the grind of corporate life, 33-year-old office worker Choi Go-woong was desperately searching for a sense of healing. He'd taken a few rushed trips to Jeju, hoping to shake off the stress, but none of them offered the exhale he needed.

Then one day, while scrolling through social media, he came across Choncance — a package travel program run by a travel agency called Jigu-noriter. The name blends the Korean word chon (countryside) with the French vacance (vacation).

The marketing material made the trip to Namyangju, Gyeonggi, look like a countryside fantasy. Pick vegetables from a backyard garden. Cook samgyetang, traditional chicken soup, over an outdoor fire. Nap in a hammock as sunlight filters through the trees.

“I thought, ‘this is exactly what I was looking for,’” the office worker said. 

Travelers pick vegetables from a garden during the package tour Choncance by the travel agency Jigu-noriter. [JIGU-NORITER]  

Travelers nap in hammocks during the package tour Choncance by the travel agency Jigu-noriter. [JIGU-NORITER] 

Still, Choi had his doubts. He'd tried vacation packages before, but they hadn't been his style. “I had bad experiences where I was forced into activities I didn’t want to do," he said.

Nevertheless, Choi signed up — and soon found himself living out his pastoral dreams just an hour from Seoul, tending a vegetable garden, chopping wood, sitting by bonfires under the stars — each moment quietly helping him heal.

The office worker is now a vacation package enthusiast. He joined another trip to a riverside village, during which he rode ATVs and played team-based survival games. He's leaving for another Choncance trip on June 21.

Choi isn't the only one who's recently eschewed a perception of package tours as a hodge-podge of tight schedules and budget meals. Alongside Jigu-noriter, Korean travel agencies are beginning to reimagine the traditional vacation, offering hobby- or theme-based flexible programs that appeal to younger generations craving more personal itineraries — and connections. 

From rigid to relevant

Package tours boomed in Korea in the early 2010s, with the country’s leading travel agency, Hanatour, recording an average annual growth rate of 11 percent from 2010 to 2014. But travel agencies now have the task of courting today's more internet-savvy Gen Z.

“Package travel programs are a rip-off,” said a woman in her 20s who asked to be identified by her surname, Kim, for privacy. “I went on a lot of them with family as a kid, but now I prefer to plan my own trips.”

Travelers ride horses during Hanatour's Mingling Tour of Mongolia. [HANATOUR]  

Traditionally, package tours in Korea are tightly scheduled, family-oriented group trips that bundle transportation, accommodations and a Korean-speaking guide.The tours typically include visits to major landmarks and cultural sites, as well as shopping stops and group meals at designated restaurants. "Optional" paid activities are often offered, though many participants report feeling pressured to join. Crucially, free time is notoriously limited.

Realizing that “the needs of the 2030 generation are highly individualized and diversified," Kim Bo-ram, a former TV producer, launched Jigu-noriter in 2023 — with the aim of running trips centered around specific themes and interests, rather than shopping and generic tourist sites.

Kim Bo-ram surveyed hundreds of young people in-person and through social media. The agency developed a number of itineraries based on that feedback, including an Ulleung Island expedition, a plane ride in Gongju, South Chungcheong — and Choncance, which is kicking off its 13th edition this week.

"We realized there was strong demand for countryside retreats, especially among women in their 20s and 30s,” he said.

Travelers swim during a package tour by travel agency Jigu-noriter. [JIGU-NORITER]  

“Sure, making money and advancing your career is important in your 20s and 30s," Kim Bo-ram continued. "But engaging with people who’ve lived different lives is also a form of self-development. I wanted to create a space where people could grow through mingling and exchange."

Today, about two-thirds of Jigu-noriter’s trips sell out early.

Jigu-noriter is one of several Korean travel agencies reshaping package travel around themes like hobbies, healing and community, including destinations both in and outside Korea.

Modetour, one of Korea’s largest travel agencies, launched its “Concept Tour” series several years ago — themed trips led by influencers or experts instead of traditional tour guides.

In January, Modetour’s NBA package — including three games that featured LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and hosted by creator B'story — sold out in 30 minutes despite its 7 million won ($5,123) price tag. Its eight-day baseball tour to New York in May, led by commentator Han Seung-hoon and reporter Do Sang-hyun, sold out within a week. Ninety percent of the NBA trip's participants, and 80 percent of those who joined the MLB tour, were millennials or Gen Z.

Travelers take part in the Coco Road Marathon, which is part of Yellow Balloon tour's package tour. [YELLOW BALLOON TOUR]

A poster for Yellow Balloon tour's package tour program featuring YouTuber Shihyun [YELLOW BALLOON TOUR] 

Travel agency Yellow Balloon Tour has also expanded its themed travel offerings. For example, it caters to wellness-focused travelers with packages including international marathons, with recent launches in Saipan and Da Nang in March and May, respectively. A whiskey-and-cuisine tour in Taiwan hosted by YouTuber Shihyung took place in April. Other trips target millennials and Gen Z, including animation-themed trips and the 2030 Exclusive series.

The first Mingling Tour, Bohol Freediving, launched last February and featuring free-diver Lee Seo-young, sold out within seven hours. A recent road trip in Mongolia sold out in just three minutes.

The company also runs “Back to Backpacking" for travelers in their 50s and 60s, a series that reimagines backpacking — long seen as a symbol of youth.

“We plan to expand our generational offerings even further to keep up with fast-changing demand," the company said. 

Participants do yoga during Hanatour's Mingling Tour in Vietnam. [HANATOUR] 

Solo, but not alone

Another noticeable trend is the rise of solo travelers joining group programs — breaking the traditional image of family-oriented package tours.

Kim Jeong-mi, 33, joined Jigu-noriter’s paragliding trip in 2023 to Danyang, North Chungcheong, by herself.

“I enjoy doing active things, but as I entered my 30s, it became harder to align schedules and interests with friends and family,” Kim Jeong-mi said. “Thinking it would be fun to travel with people around my age who enjoy similar experiences, I decided to join the program.”

Surrounded by people with similar interests, Kim Jeong-mi quickly made friends during the trip. "Even after the program, I am still contacting them," she said. She recently joined her third Jigu-noriter program, this time to Mongolia. 

Participants in Jigu-noriter's package tour make a star with their fingers. [JIGU-NORITER] 

Such connections are a significant draw for some.

“There are quite a lot of people who come for socializing,” said Kim Bo-ram. “Many people who joined just to have fun over a weekend also end up forming friendships through the program.”

Around 40 percent of Jigu-noriter participants return for another program with the agency, often hoping to make new friends or reconnect with those they met on previous tours, the company said.

Participants in Jigu-noriter's package tour use sparklers. [JIGU-NORITER] 

To ease social barriers Jigu-noriter and Modetour set up group chats and meetups before their trips. Jigu-noriter also includes "missions," challenging participants to prepare meals or share rides throughout the itinerary to facilitate bonding.

“These missions aren’t about competition,” Kim Bo-ram said. “They’re meant to help people warm up to one another and take photos for each other, especially for those traveling solo.”

Carpooling has also evolved into a pre-trip bonding activity, with Jigu-noriter offering small subsidies to encourage drivers.

A new way to travel

The rise of themed group travel reflects a broader shift in the industry, said Lee Hoon, a professor at Hanyang University's Graduate School of International Tourism.

“Trips are increasingly defined by what kind of experience they offer, rather than just the act of going somewhere,” said Lee Hoon. “It's becoming a form of self-expression, moving away from simply following others — and that’s where traditional package tours fall short.”

Lim Hugh Hyungtaek, a professor at Sun Moon University’s Department of Global Tourism, said the Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated the trend.

“Before the pandemic, group tours were mostly associated with large-scale low-cost travel, and people focused more on just going abroad,” Lim said. “People have come to dislike crowds after Covid and want to travel in small groups that better reflect their interests.”

Lim added that themed tours make it "easier to find people with similar interests through traveling." 

Travelers pose for a photo after completing the Saipan Marathon, which was part of Yellow Balloon tour's package tour. [YELLOW BALLOON TOUR]  

Travel magazine Tripgoing introduces travel destinations tailored to each Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. [SCREEN CAPTURE]  

Even travel outlets are adapting to these changing preferences. Lifestyle magazine Tripgoing now curates destination recommendations based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. For example, it recommends Paris for an ENTP — also known as "the debater" — who may crave spirited discussion and creative pursuits. Other websites offer personality quizzes to help people find destinations that match their traits.

“Travel is no longer a special or rare event — it has become a common activity,” Lee Hoon said. “As people accumulate more travel experience, they become more specialized, moving away from general, one-size-fits-all trips and instead seeking out more focused, purpose-driven journeys.”

The professor is on the right track, according to some members of Gen Z. Park So-hee, 25, said she'd never been a fan of group tours due to their fixed schedules and high costs. But when asked if she would consider a package tour based on her hobby, basketball, she said, “I’d be open to it.” 

Reference
Written by WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]
Provided by Korea JoongAng Daily

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