Tourism commands a large fraction of Jeju's economy. In 2018, it was reported that Jeju's service industry was around 73.7% of the island's
GRDP. Jeju's temperate climate, natural scenery, and beaches make it a popular
tourist destination for South Koreans as well as visitors from other parts of East Asia. The island is sometimes called "South Korea's Hawaii". Tourism on the island is promoted by the South Korean government–backed corporation
Jeju Tourism Organization. The most popular tourist spots on the island are
Cheonjeyeon and
Cheonjiyeon waterfalls,
Hallasan, Hyeobje cave, and Hyeongje island. There is a variety of leisure sports that tourists can take part in Jeju including golf, horse riding, hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, etc. Depending on the season, Jeju hosts many festivals for tourists including a penguin swimming contest in winter, cherry blossom festival in spring, the midsummer night beach festival in summer, and
Jeju horse festival in autumn, among others. For most tourists, traffic to and from the island is mainly taken through
Jeju International Airport and transport within the island by rental cars. Some local products are popular with tourists, including Jeju's special tile fish and mandarin oranges, as well as souvenirs and
duty-free shopping. Jeju was chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature through the
New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign by the New7Wonders Foundation. The campaign saw hundreds of millions of votes and the top seven wonders were announced on 11/11/11. Museums on the island include
Nexon Computer Museum.
Tourism In 1962, the South Korean government established the Korean National Tourism Corporation (KNTC) to monitor and regulate internal and external tourism, and it was later renamed the Korean National Tourism Organization (KNTO). While Korea lacks abundant natural resources, tourism generates income nationwide for South Korea. In Jeju-do province, specifically, tourism has proven to be beneficial and has been a growing contributor to the economy. Jeju Island, often compared to Hawaii, "is the winter destination for Asian tourist seeking warm weather and beautiful beaches." The island is home to 660,000 people, but hosts 15,000,000 visitors per year. English is not widely spoken in Jeju, and as a matter of fact, "the local dialect is different enough from Korean that it is recognized as a distinct language." "Until recently, Chinese travelers accounted for 80% of foreign travelers"; however China views it as a security threat. Though in the past year [2017] tourism has declined sharply, visits to Jeju continue to be a vacation destination for Asia. There are no visa requirements for visitors staying up to 90 days The current desire of the existing Jeju International Airport includes wanting to add more direct flights, nonstop to major cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. Jeju became more well known outside Korea after two characters in the 2021
Netflix original series
Squid Game mentioned it. It was also the location for two episodes of the 2022
Netflix original series
Extraordinary Attorney Woo, entitled "The Blue Night of Jeju I and II".
Tourist attractions in Jeju in Jeju
Hallim Park is one of the oldest and most popular tourist attractions on Jeju. It is on the west coast. There is an annual fire festival on the island that stems from a custom of removing harmful insects and old grass in villages in winter. The fire festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Dal-gip (to pile up much wood) is burned when the moon rises while praying for good harvests and making good wishes. Jeju traditional food is eaten at the site of the festival. This festival was held 13 times until 2009. The "Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival" started in 1997 and become a leading festival of Jeju. This takes place in Saebyeol Oreum in Bongseong ri, Aewol Eup. It takes up to 25 minutes to reach it from Jeju International Airport by car. Jeju citizens do their utmost to prepare the Fire Festival so as to pass down, develop, and ultimately develop branding for the unique folk culture resources of Jeju. Saebyeol oreum has a characteristic of a complex volcano. It has a horseshoe-shaped crater that is both very wide and slightly split. It rises high with the little peaks making an oval from the south peak to northwest. The scale is
above sea level , height of , circumference of , area of . Saebyeol oreum is the middle size among the 360 oreums on Jeju Island. It is named after the saying "it brightens like a star."
Olle is a word in the local dialect that refers to the paths between houses and public roads. The
Jeju Olle Trail, called Jeju Olle Gil or simply "jejuolle" in Korean, is a long-distance footpath on Jeju Island. The course, mostly following the coastline, consists of 21 connected, numbered main courses, 5 major spurs, and a short spur that connects to Jeju Airport. The courses have an average length of and all together total . The exact length and locations change over time as trails are modified or re-routed. The courses pass through small villages, cross beaches, wind through farms and orchards, twist through forests, and climb oreums ("low parasitic volcanoes") across Jeju Island.
Manjanggul is one of the longest lava tubes in the world. Manjang Cave, at Donggimnyeong-ri, Gujwa-eup, North Jeju, east of Jeju City, was designated as Natural Monument No. 98 on March 28, 1970. The annual temperature inside the cave ranges from 11 °C to 21 °C, thus facilitating a favorable environment throughout the year. The cave is academically significant as rare species live in the cave. Created by spewing lava, "the
lava turtle", "lava pillar", and "wing-shaped wall" look like the work of the gods. It is considered to be a world-class tourist attraction. The Geomunoreum lava tube system is the most impressive and significant series of protected lava tubes in the world and includes a spectacular array of secondary carbonate speleothems (stalactites and other formations). It overwhelms other lava tubes with its abundance and diversity. The Geomunoreum lava tube system, which is regarded as the finest such cave system in the world, has an outstanding visual impact even for those experienced with such phenomena. It displays the unique spectacle of multi-colored carbonate decorations adorning the roofs and floors, and dark-colored lava walls, partially covered by a mural of carbonate deposits. In addition, lava tubes are like those in limestone karst in scale, shape, and internal decoration, but completely different in origin. Lava tubes are known from basaltic terrain in most of the world's volcanic regions. The lava tubes of the Geomunoreum system are, however, regarded as internationally important due to their length, massive volume, intricate passage configuration, well preserved internal lava features, abundant and spectacular secondary carbonate formations, ease of access, and their scientific and educational values. Another feature making Geomunoreum globally significant and distinctive is the presence of carbonate deposits and formations. Very small deposits of calcite are common in lava tubes and are more significantly developed as speleothems in Duck Creek cave in the U.S. state of
Utah. However, in abundance, density and diversity they are far less impressive than those of Yongcheongul and Dangcheomuldonggul lava tubes in Jeju, and the scale of these decorations within the lava caves of Jeju Island far exceeds any other comparable examples. The nomination is supported by the Commission on Volcanic Caves of the
International Union of Speleology — the world's most authoritative scientific body on volcanic caves — which regards Jeju's lava caves as being of the highest international ranking. Yongcheon Gul Lava Tube has been discovered subsequently and is of equivalent value.
Sangumburi Crater is the crater of an extinct volcano. Unlike its brethren Halla-san and Songsan Ilch'ubong, this one exploded quickly but did not spew much lava nor did it form much of a surrounding cone. This phenomenon is called maru in Korean, and Sangumburi is the only one of its kind in the country, making it Natural Monument #263. The remaining crater is deep and an average of s across. Over 400 species of plants and animals live inside the crater. Visitors can walk around part of the rim (the rest is private property and fenced off), but they cannot venture down inside the crater. A well-paved path leads from the parking area to the viewing area, which has a small pavilion and several vista points. Also on the grounds are gravesites made in traditional Jeju fashion: a wide, trapezoidal stone wall surrounding the burial mound. Several of the sites have small stone figures that guard the mound against evil spirits. At the park entrance are large rocks from the crater. During the eruption, molten rock flew from the volcano into the air and cooled into many exotic shapes.
Seongsan Ilchulbong, also called 'Sunrise Peak', is an archetypal
tuff cone formed by
hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about 5,000 years ago. On the eastern seaboard of
Jeju Island and said to resemble a gigantic ancient castle, this tuff cone is 182 meters high, has a preserved bowl-like crater, and displays diverse inner structures resulting from the sea cliff. These features are considered to be of geologic worth, providing information on eruptive and depositional processes of hydromagnetic volcanoes worldwide as well as past volcanic activity of Seongsan Ilchulbong itself.
Oedolgae is a 20-meter-tall pillar-shaped rock in Sammaebong,
Seogwipo. It was created 1.5 million years ago by a volcanic eruption. At the top of Oedolgae, there are pine trees growing naturally. According to legend, an old woman became a rock after waiting for her husband who went to sea to catch fish and didn't return for a long time. So people call it 'halmang bawi' meaning grandmother rock. On the left side of Oedolgae, there is a rock called someri bawi. A large grass area covers the rock, and the surrounding area is great for fishing. Oedolgae is a popular tourist destination, particularly with foreigners.
Hallasan is the mountain of one of the three gods. It stands at the center of Jeju Island, spreading east and west. The east face is steep, the north side is gentle, and the east and west form a flat, wide highland. Hallasan is a dormant volcano created by volcanic activities during the
quaternary period of the
Cenozoic era. It is primarily covered with basalt. On its top is a crater and Baeknok Lake. This mountain is home to alpine plants and houses as many as 1,800 species of flora. It also boasts luxuriant natural forests and vast grasslands. The long Road 5.16 crossing the eastern waist of the mountain from Jeju City to Seogwipo is considered to be one of the best tourist roads in Korea. Along this road, there are many tourist attractions such as Sancheondan and Seongpanak. People can enjoy the royal azalea blossoms in spring, lush, green woods in summer, colorful foliage in fall, and a landscape of snow in winter. The Road 110 crossing the western waist of the mountain from Jeju-si to Jungmun runs through a high area that is high above sea level. It passes by the Eoseungsang Reservoir, which is a source of water for Jeju islanders. The 99 Passes where, a legend says, neither a king nor a tiger is born because it is one short to 100 passes. It also passes closely by Youngsil Giam (Youngsil Grotesque Rocks). It is possible to climb up to Wetse Oreum along Eorimok Trail and Youngsil Trail and to the top along Seongpanak Trail and Kwaneumsa Temple Trail.
Udo, (also called U-island, since do means island) is on the northeast of Seongsan-ri, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) off the coast. This is the largest of the islands included in
Jeju-si. Udo, literally "Cow Island" in Chinese, has this name because it looks like a cow lying down. The whole of Udo is a
lava plateau and a fertile flatland where major agricultural products such as sweet potatoes, garlic, and peanuts are produced. There is a
parasitic cone, called
shoi meori oreum, in the southeast.
Jungmun Saekdal Beach is at the Saekdal-dong,
Seogwipo. It is near the hotel zone it has convenient accessibility: Sinla Jeju hotel, Lotte hotel, Jeju Hana hotel are around 2 kilometers near the beach. Jungmun Saekdal Beach has a particular geographical feature. The beach shore is faced to the north and the water level is steady knee height until about 200 meters off the shore. There are many big and small waves under the influences of the Maparam (, which means the wind from the north in Korean) so the beach is clouded by the people who came from many other regions to enjoy surfing in summer.
Aqua Planet Jeju In Seogwipo, there is the largest
public aquarium "Aqua Planet Jeju" () in South Korea. Korea's largest tank of "The Sea of Jeju" is popular. Jeju has three UNESCO World Heritage sites, and is "packed with museums and theme parks and also has horses, mountains, lava tube caves, and waterfalls with clear blue ocean lapping its beaches." There are small islands near Jeju Island that visitors can visit by boat; the most famous of these are Udo, Gapado, and Marado. Udo is famous for its peanut ice cream and boat tours.
Places of interest •
Love Land (South Korea), an outdoor sculpture park focused on a theme of sex •
Manjanggul Lava Tube, 8 km (5 mile) long with a 1 km (1000 yard) publicly accessible portion •
Seongsan Ilchulbong or "Sunrise Peak", a volcanic tuff cone and crater •
Hallasan, the island's central dominant peak • Mount
Songaksan, a shore cliff and a low, flat grassland make a beautiful and easy walking trail •
Seongeup Folk Village • Jeju Teddy's Bear Museum • Figure Museum Jeju • Jeju Maze Park •
Mysterious Road • Water Falls (Jeongbang. Cheonjiyeon. Cheonjeyeon) •
O'Sulloc Tea Museum • Beach (Jungmun. Hyeopjae) • Ecoland Train Trip Theme Parks •
Natural Recreation Forest Jeolmul •
Jonjaamji, Korean Buddhist pagoda
Visa policy Jeju has an independent visa policy that varies from that of the South Korean mainland. So all ordinary passport holders excluding those from
Afghanistan,
Cuba,
Ghana,
Iraq,
Kosovo,
Libya,
Nigeria,
Palestine,
North Korea,
Sudan,
Syria,
Somalia and
Yemen can stay visa-free 30 days in Jeju, even if they normally require a visa for the South Korean mainland. Domestic flights from the mainland do not require identification; however, passengers who try to enter the mainland from Jeju must bring identification such as
National ID Card, Jeju Resident Card, South Korean
drivers licence issued by
National Police Agency or or passport with
proper visa or visa-free passport or passport with valid
United States visa. Thus, all ordinary passport holders except the following can stay visa-free 30 days in Jeju Province, even if they normally require a visa for South Korea: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Tourists from China do not require a visa to visit Jeju, unlike the rest of South Korea, and in the 2010s have started visiting on specialised package tours to acquire a South Korean driver's license; the test is similar to that in China, but can be completed in less time and is easier, application and test forms are available in many languages, and a South Korean license, unlike a Chinese license, makes the holder eligible for an
International Drivers License. ==Education==