NOL UNIVERSE, a leisure and travel platform company led by CEO Cheolwoong Lee, has unveiled “H.O.R.S.E” as its key leisure trend framework for 2026, highlighting how consumer expectations around leisure are evolving toward deeper personal value and meaning.

The H.O.R.S.E framework reflects five emerging shifts in the leisure market:

• Hyper Fandom – Leisure experiences driven by passion and fandom
• Open Access – Prioritizing comfort, accessibility, and convenience
• Refined Premium – Seeking personal value in premium leisure experiences
• Smart Consumption – Enjoying leisure through rational and balanced spending
• Experience Shift – Expanding the boundaries of leisure through meaningful experiences

Under the overarching message, “In a fast-moving world, leisure is once again turning inward,” the trend analysis suggests that while society continues to accelerate, the leisure market is intentionally slowing down—rethinking direction rather than pace.

Today, the key question for consumers is no longer how often or how much they enjoy leisure activities, but why they do so and what meaning those experiences leave behind.

Hyper Fandom: From Passion to Leisure Experiences

Fandom-driven leisure continues to gain momentum across multiple sectors. In cultural performances, consumers in their 50s and 60s have emerged as a growing audience, while in sports, women in their 20s and 30s are becoming key drivers of fandom culture.

Among customers who purchased tickets for the same concert held in multiple regions in 2025—commonly known as nationwide tour concerts—27.2% were aged 50 to 60, up 8.7 percentage points from the previous year (18.5%). This figure is comparable to those in their 20s (23.4%) and 30s (29.3), indicating that older generations are increasingly active participants in fandom-based leisure.

In sports, female-driven fandom is also strengthening, with the share of sports ticket purchases made by women rising from 43.2% in 2022 to 48.9% in 2025. Fandom-based leisure is also influencing inbound travel, as global IP- and K-pop-artist-driven pop-up content ranked among the most viewed on NOL World. Travel routes connected to concert venues and entertainment company headquarters expanded across the greater Seoul metropolitan area, including Incheon and Goyang.

Open Access: Prioritizing Comfort and Convenience

Accessibility and ease of travel have become decisive factors in leisure choices. In 2025, the most-booked mid-sized and standard hotels on NOL UNIVERSE's platform were all located in Yeongdeungpo, an area known for its strong transportation connectivity, including subway lines, KTX rail access, and airport bus routes.

Following the implementation of Korea's visa-free entry policy for Chinese travelers, demand for travel to China increased significantly. Shanghai Disneyland newly entered the Top 10 overseas tour and ticket bookings in 2025, while flight bookings to China rose 63.7% year over year.

The top three international flight destinations for Korean travelers in 2025—Osaka, Fukuoka, and Tokyo—were all short-haul cities, underscoring a growing preference for destinations that minimize travel burden and maximize accessibility.

Refined Premium: Finding Personal Value in Leisure

Premium leisure consumption is being reshaped around nature-based relaxation and previously unexplored experiences. In 2025, the top three premium hotel booking destinations were Gangneung, Jecheon, and Jeongdongjin, all located near natural landscapes. Notably, an L Hotel in Jecheon climbed from sixth place in 2024 to second place in 2025, reflecting a sharp increase in demand.

In packaged travel, mid- to long-haul exploratory destinations gained prominence. The Top 5 package travel destinations in 2025 included the Eastern European Balkans (3rd), Türkiye (4th), and Western Europe (5th).

In sports-related travel, demand for rare and exclusive experiences surged, with transaction volume for Formula 1 race tickets increasing nearly 90-fold year over year, highlighting consumers' growing appetite for once-in-a-lifetime leisure experiences.

Smart Consumption: Enjoying Leisure Through Balanced Spending

Even amid economic uncertainty, rational leisure spending has become more pronounced. Based on monthly check-in data, the average overseas accommodation spend per booking ranged from KRW 627,000 in October (the highest month) to KRW 464,000 in March (the lowest), with relatively modest differences during peak summer months—KRW 557,000 in July and KRW 516,000 in August.

This pattern reflects a trend of “adjusted consumption,” where consumers opt for more affordable accommodations during peak seasons and upgrade their stays during off-peak periods. Monthly booking distribution further supports this trend, with July accounting for 10.9% of total bookings and April—the lowest month—still representing 7%, indicating stable demand throughout the year.

Experience Shift: Expanding the Scope of Leisure

The boundaries of leisure experiences are continuing to expand. Travel itineraries increasingly reflect a desire to experience narratives found in cultural content rather than simply visiting tourist attractions. On NOL World, half of the most-viewed restaurant content was related to K-pop-linked locations, forming new travel patterns that connect culinary destinations with fandom landmarks.

Interest-based travel products are also gaining traction. Despite broader economic challenges, bookings for NOL UNIVERSE's themed “Holic” packages increased 36.2% year over year, signaling sustained demand for leisure experiences built around personal interests.

A NOL UNIVERSE spokesperson said, “The way people evaluate leisure is shifting from how much they consume to what meaning it leaves behind,” adding, “As leisure continues to be redefined around personal taste, values, and experiences, we will continue to strengthen services and content that deliver real value to our customers.”