Jeju Island reinvents itself as haven for paws and passports

Jeju Island is targeting international pet owners, especially Japanese travelers, as it promotes itself as a pet-friendly getaway. The island has spent more than a year improving quarantine guidance, vaccination checks and veterinary support to make pet travel easier. It also ran a promotional pavilion at a pet exposition in Osaka last week and plans a dedicated campaign in late October ahead of commercial tours next year.

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization are positioning the island as a pet-friendly destination for foreign tourists.

A Tokyo-based survey by Cross Marketing Inc. found that more than half of pet owners in their 20s and 30s in Japan now include pets in social outings and leisure travel.

Jeju officials say they have spent over a year refining support for vaccination verification, streamlined quarantine procedures and access to on-island veterinary hospitals.

The island operated a Pet-Friendly Jeju promotional pavilion at a three-day pet exposition in Osaka last week.

The feedback from the Osaka event will feed into a promotional drive for Jeju pet travel packages set to launch in late October ahead of full-scale commercial tours next year.

Published Sep 26, 2026 7:00 am KST

Japanese pet owners browse travel information and experience dog-friendly activities at Jeju Island's booth during a major pet expo in Osaka, Japan, Monday. Courtesy of Jeju Tourism Organization

Jeju Island is rolling out the red carpet — and plenty of belly rubs — for a new wave of globetrotters: jet-setting pups and the devoted humans who refuse to leave them behind. Tourism authorities in Jeju are betting that attracting international pet owners will unleash the southern resort island’s next major wave of travel growth.

As the global trend of "pet humanization" — treating companion animals as full family members — gains traction, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization are positioning the island as a major pet-friendly getaway for foreign tourists. At the center of this strategy is a targeted campaign aimed at nearby Japan, where surveys by Tokyo-based market research firm Cross Marketing Inc. show a clear generational shift: more than half of pet owners in their 20s and 30s now integrate their pets into social outings and leisure travel, driving a surging demand for pet-friendly hospitality.

Navigating international travel with pets is notoriously complex, often fraught with strict quarantine protocols, feed import regulations, complex transport arrangements and uncertainty regarding pet-welcoming accommodations. To eliminate these friction points, Jeju has spent over a year refining its back-end infrastructure. Following a familiarization tour with Japanese industry insiders last spring, local officials mapped out a comprehensive support system that addresses vaccination verification, streamlined quarantine procedures and immediate access to on-island veterinary hospitals for unexpected medical needs.

By tackling these logistical anxieties head-on, Jeju aims to transform what was once considered a high-barrier vacation into a seamless, tail-wagging getaway for Japanese travelers.

To kick off its direct engagement with pet owners, Jeju officials operated a dedicated "Pet-Friendly Jeju" promotional pavilion at a major three-day pet exposition in Osaka, Japan, last week. Featuring interactive cultural events such as a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) dress-up experience for dogs, the booth provided step-by-step guidance on every stage of a pet-inclusive trip to the island. Visitors could review detailed itineraries covering pet-friendly resorts, scenic walking trails and certified local animal clinics.

Rather than relying on broad regional advertising, the island's tourism strategy focuses on direct, precision marketing that delivers clear, actionable information to potential visitors. The insights and feedback gathered during the recent Osaka event will be integrated directly into a dedicated promotional drive for Jeju pet travel packages, set to launch in late October ahead of full-scale commercial tours next year.

"Overseas travel with pets requires absolute clarity on quarantine procedures and local conditions, making direct, face-to-face guidance the most effective strategy," said Hwang Kyoung-sun, director general of Jeju’s Tourism and Culture Bureau. "Through targeted marketing that meets potential travelers where they are, we intend to etch Jeju’s identity as a premier pet-friendly destination into the Japanese market."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

济州岛正积极将国际宠物主人，尤其是日本游客作为目标客户，大力推广其宠物友好型度假胜地的形象。一年多来，济州岛不断完善检疫指南、疫苗接种检查和兽医服务，力求让宠物旅行更加便捷。上周，济州岛还在大阪举办的宠物博览会上设立了宣传展馆，并计划在10月下旬开展专项宣传活动，为明年的商业旅游做准备。

济州特别自治道和济州旅游组织正将该岛定位为外国游客的宠物友好型旅游目的地。

东京 Cross Marketing Inc. 进行的一项调查发现，日本 20 多岁和 30 多岁的宠物主人中，超过一半的人现在会带着宠物参加社交活动和休闲旅行。

济州岛官员表示，他们花了一年多的时间来完善疫苗接种验证支持、简化检疫程序以及方便岛内兽医医院的就医途径。

上周，济州岛在大阪举办的为期三天的宠物博览会上设立了“宠物友好济州岛”宣传展馆。

大阪活动的反馈将用于济州岛宠物旅游套餐的推广活动，该套餐计划于 10 月下旬推出，为明年的全面商业旅游做准备。

发布于2026年9月26日上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

周一，在日本大阪举行的大型宠物博览会上，日本宠物主人在济州岛展位浏览旅游信息并体验适合狗狗的活动。图片由济州旅游发展局提供。

济州岛正热情迎接新一波环球旅行者：带着爱犬环游世界的“空中飞人”和不愿将它们独自留在家中的忠实主人。济州岛旅游部门寄希望于吸引国际宠物主人，从而开启这座南部度假岛屿旅游业的下一波增长浪潮。

随着“宠物人性化”（将宠物视为家庭成员）的全球趋势日益盛行，济州特别自治道和济州旅游发展局正将济州岛打造成为外国游客的宠物友好型度假胜地。这一战略的核心是针对邻国日本的定向推广活动。东京市场调研公司Cross Marketing Inc.的调查显示，日本的宠物主人群体正在经历明显的代际转变：超过半数的20至30岁宠物主人现在会将宠物融入社交活动和休闲旅行中，从而推动了对宠物友好型酒店的需求激增。

携带宠物进行国际旅行历来十分复杂，往往需要遵守严格的检疫规定、饲料进口法规、繁琐的运输安排，并且很难确定是否有合适的宠物住宿。为了消除这些障碍，济州岛花费一年多的时间完善其后台基础设施。去年春天，济州岛官员与日本业内人士进行了考察访问，之后制定了一套全面的支持体系，涵盖疫苗接种验证、简化检疫程序以及在出现突发医疗需求时能够迅速联系到岛内兽医医院等问题。

济州岛直面这些后勤方面的担忧，旨在将曾经被视为高门槛的假期转变为日本游客轻松愉快的度假体验。

为了与宠物主人直接互动，济州岛政府上周在日本大阪举办的为期三天的大型宠物博览会上，专门设立了“宠物友好型济州岛”宣传展馆。展馆内设有互动文化活动，例如为狗狗提供韩服（韩国传统服饰）换装体验，并为宠物济州岛之旅的每个环节提供详细指南。参观者可以查看涵盖宠物友好型度假村、风景优美的步行路线以及经认证的当地动物诊所的详细行程安排。

济州岛的旅游策略并非依赖广泛的区域性广告，而是专注于精准的直接营销，向潜在游客提供清晰、可操作的信息。近期在大阪举办的活动中收集到的洞察和反馈，将直接应用于济州岛宠物旅游套餐的专属推广活动中。该推广活动计划于10月下旬启动，为明年全面商业旅游的开展铺平道路。

济州岛观光文化局局长黄京善表示：“携带宠物出国旅行需要对检疫程序和当地情况有绝对清晰的了解，因此面对面的直接指导是最有效的策略。我们希望通过精准的市场营销，在潜在游客所在之处与他们互动，将济州岛打造成为日本市场上首屈一指的宠物友好型旅游目的地。”

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。