The number of guesthouses and pensions in Daejeon more than doubled in a year. As more tourists take "bread pilgrimages" centered on the famous bakery Sungsimdang, demand for stay-over tourism in Daejeon also appears to be growing.
According to the National Tax Statistics Portal on the 24th, as of the end of June this year, Daejeon had 182 pensions and guesthouses. That was up 104% (93 locations) from 89 in the same period a year earlier. Considering that the average growth rate across the 16 metropolitan and provincial regions nationwide was 11% over the same period, Daejeon's increase was about 10 times higher.
◇ As tourist numbers rise, lodging demand grows too… foreign visitors up ninefold in five years
As the number of tourists visiting Daejeon steadily increases, small lodging facilities that offer relatively affordable stays are also growing rapidly in tandem.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Daejeon's annual visitor count rose about 32% in four years, from 69.11 million in 2021 to 90.95 million last year. This year as well, 52.72 million people visited Daejeon through July, raising the possibility that the annual visitor count will hit a record high.
The rise in foreign tourists is even steeper. Foreign visitors to Daejeon, which numbered 124,895 in 2021, topped 1 million for the first time in 2024 and rose to 1,191,379 last year. That is more than a ninefold increase in four years. This year, about 740,000 foreigners visited Daejeon through July.
Among visitors to Daejeon, the share who stay overnight has held at around 16% to 18% over the past five years. While the lodging share itself has not changed much, the overall visitor base has grown, effectively increasing the actual number of overnight guests.
People on the ground also feel the change. A person surnamed Park (62), who runs a guesthouse in Daejeon, said, "Since 'bread pilgrimages' to bakeries really caught on, we have many bookings even on weekdays," adding, "Recently, tourists from China and Mongolia have also been coming."
The increase in tourists is also leading to higher spending. The amount of tourism spending by foreigners in Daejeon on credit cards rose more than fourfold, from about 11.4 billion won in 2021 to about 51.2 billion won last year.
◇ Voted the nation's No. 1 travel spot… the "Sungsimdang effect"
At the center of Daejeon's tourist surge is Sungsimdang. Based on navigation search data for popular eateries, Sungsimdang's main store and Sungsimdang DCC branch ranked first and second as the most visited restaurants in Daejeon by both locals and out-of-towners.
Sungsimdang has now moved beyond being merely a well-known local bakery to establish itself as a signature tourist attraction representing Daejeon. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on the 19th that in the public vote results for the "Korea Attraction Discovery 100X100 Project" carried out with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Sungsimdang ranked No. 1 among single-theme travel attractions.
In the vote, which drew participation from more than 40,000 people, Sungsimdang beat out leading attractions nationwide, including the National Museum of Korea and Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul, the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, and Seongsan Ilchulbong in Jeju.
Bread-centered trips around Sungsimdang are also expanding from same-day visits to stay-over itineraries that include other nearby bakeries.
An office worker, a person surnamed Lee (30), who made a bread pilgrimage to Daejeon last year, plans to visit Daejeon again next month over a weekend. This time it is a one-night, two-day itinerary. Lee said, "I plan to go at Sungsimdang's opening time to buy the new fig siru item and also check out other Daejeon patisseries and bakeries that have been spreading by word of mouth recently."
◇ On social media are "one-day bread tour" strategies… Daejeon city offers the "bread city tour"
The culture of traveling Daejeon with bread as the focus is spreading quickly online.
Social media and online communities are filled with itineraries labeled "Daejeon bread pilgrimage" and "Daejeon one-day bread tour." It is also easy to find posts showing the real-time wait times or length of lines at each Sungsimdang store.
Strategies for efficiently visiting multiple Sungsimdang locations have also emerged. One approach is to buy bread at the main store, then stop by the sandwich specialty shop in the main store's basement, and visit the Cake Boutique branch in sequence. Rather than stopping at just one Sungsimdang location, travel routes are forming that also include nearby commercial areas and other bakeries.
Daejeon city is actively leveraging this popularity as tourism content. In March, it launched the "2026 Daejeon City Tour," which revamped route operations and the boarding system, and converted the existing "bread city tour" into a circular route.
During August, it is running a "bread-cation event," operating two routes that each visit designated representative bakeries in sequence.
A tourist identified as A, who used the bread city tour earlier this month, said, "You ride the bus without a separate guide, and the time allotted for each section was generous," adding, "It was convenient because you could freely eat bread on the bus."