As demand for overseas travel has not only recovered but surpassed the pre-COVID-19 level, Nol Universe Co is accelerating the expansion of its overseas tours and activities (T&A) business. With a wide range of content such as admission tickets, transportation passes, guided tours, and sports and performance tickets, the company aims to improve traveler convenience and increase time spent on its platform.
Nol Universe Co on the 18th held a briefing on its overseas T&A business at Yanolja headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and unveiled its plan for this year. T&A refers to various experience-based products consumed at travel destinations. Most travel content other than air tickets and accommodations is included here, such as guided tours, theme park admission tickets, transportation, performances, and sports viewing.
According to Nol Universe Co's tally, demand for overseas travel, which had increased to 28.71 million people in 2019, plunged to 1.22 million in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But last year it surpassed the previous peak at 29.47 million, and this year it is projected to reach 30.23 million.
In addition, over the past three years, the proportion of independent travelers among total overseas demand has risen to around 80%. And among independent travelers, 60% to 70% were found to have used T&A services.
Yun Min-uk, Nol Universe Co's overseas T&A sourcing and sales leader (Head of Team), assessed that recent travel demand is shifting from "destination-centric" to "experience-centric." Yun said, "In the past, it was common to choose a destination first and then look for what to do within it, but recently the experiences and activities that can only be done in that area are having a greater impact on travel decisions."
Digital transformation is also cited as a driver of T&A market expansion. The share of bookings made through travel-specialized platforms is above 70%, and content from social networking services (SNS) and influencers is said to be having a growing impact on actual travel experience choices.
In line with this trend, Nol Universe Co is expanding related products through the "Overseas tours and tickets" menu in the NOL app. It currently has about 540 partner merchants and holds more than 55,000 pieces of content.
Performance growth is also steep. According to Nol Universe Co, the year-over-year growth rate of the overseas T&A business's transaction amount was 155% in 2024 and 158% in 2025. By region, Japan accounted for the highest share of sales at 66%, followed by Southeast Asia at 15%, Greater China at 9%, and Europe at 5%.
Nol Universe Co is pursuing a strategy of securing "must-have products" in major travel destinations. For example, in Osaka, Japan, the company focuses on offering more favorable prices and benefits than competitors for products with concentrated traveler demand, such as the airport railway Rapi:t and Universal Studios admission tickets. For Hong Kong Disneyland admission tickets, Nol Universe Co's sales rank No. 1 among domestic platforms and No. 11 worldwide.
The company is also pushing differentiation through themed products such as sports, dining, and overseas performances. Previously limited to the Singapore Grand Prix, it sold Formula One (F1) tickets there, but as F1's popularity increased last year, this year it expanded sales to grands prix around the world. It also began selling London Wimbledon tennis admission tickets this year, and it is the only domestic platform selling admission tickets to "Junglia," a new theme park that opened last year in Okinawa, Japan.
The company will also advance features in response to the spontaneous travel trend. According to Nol Universe Co, the average time from booking to actual use for T&A purchasers is trending shorter at 13.6 days. The share of purchases made the day before or on the day of use is steadily increasing.
Accordingly, after air and lodging bookings, the company is strengthening a function that, based on AI, recommends tourist attractions, popular restaurants, and local products worth visiting during the travel period and seamlessly links through to detailed information checks and payment.
Nol Universe Co will target Europe and Southeast Asia as key regions this year and plans to expand guided tour products. For sports, performances, and exhibitions, it is aiming for transaction amounts to grow threefold year over year. In addition, it will introduce "NOL bus tour" products in Fukuoka and Sapporo and plans to quickly identify emerging tourist destinations through media and SNS and commercialize them.
Hwang Sun-young, overseas T&A business leader, said, "T&A is no longer an add-on product but has established itself as a key element of the overseas travel experience," adding, "We will enhance the completeness of travel by naturally linking a variety of local content after air and lodging bookings."