Agoda rises to the top in Korea — despite leading in complaints
The company has overtaken longtime market leader Nolja (formerly Yanolja) as the most-used OTA in Korea.
A national survey of more than 12,800 consumers shows that overseas travel demand has returned strongly after the pandemic, benefiting global OTAs with deeper international inventory.
While Agoda’s experience rate surged to first place, it also recorded the highest number of consumer complaints, highlighting a gap between popularity and service quality.
Industry analysts view the shifting rankings as part of a broader structural change in Korea’s rapidly evolving travel platform market.
Key takeaways
- Market leadership change: Agoda rose to first place with a 17% experience rate, surpassing Nolja, which fell to fourth after losing nine percentage points year-over-year.
- Recovery of international demand: The rising share of overseas travel helped global OTAs such as Agoda and Trip.com strengthen their position in the Korean market.
- Growing competitive field: Naver secured third place with 15%, reflecting its expanding role as a travel search and booking platform.
- Consumer complaints: Agoda generated the highest volume of consumer damage relief applications, with 1,468 reported cases, followed by How About Here and Nol Universe.
- Strong dispute resolution: Airbnb achieved the highest settlement rate between consumers and the platform at over 92%, indicating stronger dispute-handling performance.
- Long-term structural shift: Analysts expect Agoda and Trip.com to continue gaining share due to their comprehensive platform strategies and aggressive marketing efforts.
Get the full story at Maeil Business News
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