Qingdao Airport Joins “Shang Xiaoka” Coffee Festival to Foster China-Korea Exchange

At a Glance (China Coffee Network): “Flying from South Korea to Qingdao is very convenient, and the coffee is delicious too.” On June 18, at the site of the 2nd Qingdao “Shang Xiaoka” Coffee Festival, Ms. Park, a South Korean traveler from Seoul, shared her impressions while sipping a specialty pour-over coffee. That day, Qingdao Airport made an appearance at the festival, building a bridge for international exchange through on-site promotions and a range of bundled flight-ticket benefits, sincerely inviting travelers to “hop on a plane” for a cup of coffee.

“Flying from South Korea to Qingdao is very convenient, and the coffee is delicious too.” On June 18, at the site of the 2nd Qingdao “Shang Xiaoka” Coffee Festival, Ms. Park, a South Korean traveler from Seoul, shared her impressions while sipping a specialty pour-over coffee. That day, Qingdao Airport made an appearance at the festival, building a bridge for international exchange through on-site promotions and a range of bundled flight-ticket benefits, sincerely inviting travelers to “hop on a plane” for a cup of coffee.

Qilu Evening News · Qilu Yidian reporter Zhao Bo; correspondent Duan Huizhen

This coffee season is themed “Love Coffee · Taste Chengyang” and, while incorporating features such as quality Korean products and Chengyang’s intangible cultural heritage, innovatively creates an immersive “coffee + Korean flair” experience. Qingdao Airport conducted route promotions on site and, together with the Chengyang Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the coffee festival, brought travelers exclusive aviation benefits: visitors holding flight tickets dated June 18 to 21, 2026 can not only enjoy a 10% discount at designated shops in the park and at more than 40 booths, but also experience the HAHADog pet-human interactive space for free and receive a 100-yuan Didi ride voucher. In addition, residents can take part in coffee festival activities on Dianping to win gifts, and popular attractions such as Qihuan Shanhaijian, Oriental Eden, and Fantawild Dreamland have also rolled out coffee-season exclusive discounts. This travel “benefit package” covers the entire chain of “dining, lodging, transport, sightseeing, and shopping,” aiming to create an all-round cultural-tourism consumption experience for travelers from the air to the ground.

“There are many flights and the timing is very flexible. Especially since China introduced visa-free entry for South Koreans, it has become even more convenient to come to Qingdao for a weekend holiday or to attend chamber-of-commerce events,” said Mr. Lee, a South Korean traveler, at the scene.

Behind this convenient travel experience lies Qingdao Airport’s sustained, in-depth cultivation of the South Korean market. From January to May 2026, the airport handled 187,000 inbound South Korean passenger trips, up 35.5% year on year, of which 166,000 entered visa-free. At present, Qingdao Airport’s capacity on South Korea routes ranks steadily second nationwide, with flights reaching key South Korean cities such as Seoul, Busan, and Daegu. Among them, the “Seoul Express” operates like a bus service with a high frequency of 32 flights per day, densely served by multiple airlines, covering morning, noon, and evening slots, with a one-way trip of only about 1.5 hours. In addition, Qingdao Airport provides eligible South Korean travelers with benefits such as free transit accommodation and free admission to the Qingdao TV Tower. Coupled with the favorable China-South Korea mutual visa-exemption policy, Qingdao has become the preferred city for China-Korea business exchanges and weekend mini-getaways.

In the future, Qingdao Airport will continue to increase the density of its South Korea route network, optimize international service measures, and deepen interaction and cooperation with the city’s cultural tourism and consumption scenarios, using aviation ties to empower China-South Korea economic, trade, and cultural exchanges and to support Qingdao’s higher-level opening up.