South Korea’s Jeju Island Bets on NFTs to Modernize Tourism

Jeju Island, South Korea’s top travel destination, is turning to blockchain technology to reinvent how tourists explore and engage with the island. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the province plans to introduce NFT-based digital visitor cards in the second half of 2025.

The cards will offer exclusive perks like discounts, travel subsidies, and access to member-only benefits at major attractions, while also functioning as secure digital travel logs using blockchain infrastructure.

Targeting Tech-Savvy Travelers

The initiative is designed to attract Millennials and Gen Z tourists by delivering a travel experience built around personalization and tech. According to local reports, each card will store the holder’s travel history, photos, and videos on a tamper-proof blockchain, ensuring both transparency and security.

While Jeju officials have yet to announce which blockchain the cards will run on—or how much they’ll cost—they confirmed that a pilot program will take place before the full launch.

A Broader Blockchain Vision

Jeju’s NFT card rollout isn’t a sudden leap into Web3. The island has steadily been building a blockchain track record over the past several years.

In 2019, Jeju launched a government-backed initiative to establish itself as a global blockchain hub. This was followed by a blockchain-based COVID-19 contact tracing system in 2021 and a decentralized energy tracking platform in 2022.

The NFT tourism card marks Jeju’s latest step toward combining its tourism strengths with cutting-edge digital innovation.

Part of a National Push Toward Web3

Jeju’s initiative also echoes South Korea’s growing commitment to Web3 technologies. Since 2021, the country has been exploring ways to integrate NFTs into its legal and tax frameworks, and even used NFTs to raise funds for presidential campaigns in 2022.

This year, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) released new guidance clarifying how some NFTs may be regulated as crypto assets, depending on their functionality and scale of issuance.

Meanwhile, the country has continued to push forward in metaverse and blockchain infrastructure development, committing over $187 million in funding to spur tech innovation and job creation.

Crypto Momentum Continues in South Korea

The NFT tourism card launch also comes amid a boom in crypto activity across the country. Political uncertainty and economic volatility in recent months have pushed more South Koreans into digital assets. By the end of 2024, the nation’s crypto user base had surpassed 15.5 million.

If successful, Jeju Island’s NFT visitor cards could set a precedent for how tourism boards around the world use blockchain to improve both traveler experiences and data management — all while tapping into a younger, tech-savvy audience.