The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) announced that Seoul achieved a great feat following its selection as the “Best Leisure Destination in Asia” at the 11th annual Leisure Lifestyle Awards held by Global Traveler, an American magazine specializing in luxury business tourism. The Leisure Lifestyle Awards have been held annually since 2013 for the “best leisure destinations.”

The SMG and the STO continued to seek out new leisure and tourism programs, such as holding Seoul Festa 2023, in the midst of a shrinking tourism and leisure industry due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Seoul has recently seen a rapid increase in popularity as a desirable travel destination not only for those in geographically nearby Japan, but for people across the world. The city has also solidified its position as an advanced city for tourism with a high level of satisfaction among tourists following their travel.

According to the results of a survey by home-sharing platform Airbnb, Seoul was the fourth most searched travel destination in 2022. Furthermore, Time magazine included Seoul in its World’s Greatest Places 2022 list, bringing further attention and confirming the level of interest people around the world have for Seoul.