FC Seoul supporters board a special match-day train to Daejeon to cheer on their club against Daejeon Hana Citizen in May. Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization

On match days across Korea, traveling football supporters have long followed a rigid, hurried routine: board an early morning chartered bus, cheer through 90 minutes at an out-of-town stadium, and immediately head back home to the capital region.

Now, tourism officials are betting that those die-hard fans can be coaxed into staying awhile, turning out-of-town matches into weekend getaways.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Tuesday that it is expanding its “K-League Trip Day” initiative for the second half of the 2026 season. Partnering with the K League, the national professional football circuit, the program packages match tickets with curated travel itineraries, local culinary tours and overnight stays across cities outside the greater Seoul area.

The decision to broaden the initiative follows a successful pilot program in May. During that trial, roughly 150 supporters of FC Seoul and Incheon United boarded a specially chartered train to Daejeon. Beyond attending the match, fans participated in local food tours, including Daejeon's famous bakery trail — a trend locally dubbed the "bread pilgrimage."

Starting Saturday, when Busan IPark hosts Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a marquee second-division clash, the tourism agency will offer weekly travel packages for top-tier K League 1 and second-tier K League 2 matches. The program plans to recruit up to 100 participants per match for both single-day excursions and two-day weekend stays.

The itineraries are tailored to highlight regional attractions surrounding local clubs. Packages tied to Pohang Steelers matches, for instance, include guided excursions through the Gyeongsangbuk-do Arboretum. Trips linked to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Jeonju will feature visits to the Wansan Bunker, a former bomb shelter converted into a public art space. Both home-team and traveling supporters can purchase the packages.

Korea’s regional municipalities have long struggled to keep domestic tourists overnight, as high-speed rail connections often allow travelers to return home to Seoul on the same day. By linking match tickets with localized cultural experiences, tourism officials hope to capture spending that typically eludes regional economies.

“While the number of visitors traveling to regional cities for sporting events has grown steadily, tailored travel products remain scarce,” said Kang Yu-young, head of the regional tourism development team at KTO. She added that the agency plans to expand its financial and logistical support to convert sports-driven transit into longer residential stays.

Packages can be booked through the government’s official travel portal, VisitKorea.

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