Customer satisfaction score rises from 77 to 87 points

Company credits digital transformation for operational gains

Lee Min-taek, right, head of customer management at Hanatour, poses for a photo with Korean Standards Association President Moon Dong-min at the 2026 Korean Standard-Service Quality Index (KS-SQI) ceremony held at Signiel Seoul in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Hanatour]
Lee Min-taek, right, head of customer management at Hanatour, poses for a photo with Korean Standards Association President Moon Dong-min at the 2026 Korean Standard-Service Quality Index (KS-SQI) ceremony held at Signiel Seoul in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Hanatour]

Hanatour has topped the travel agency category of the 2026 Korean Standard-Service Quality Index (KS-SQI), administered by the Korean Standards Association (KSA), for the fifth consecutive year, the company announced Thursday. Product restructuring and technology adoption drove improvements in customer convenience that earned the high marks.

The KS-SQI is a service quality measurement index jointly developed in 2000 by the Korean Standards Association and Seoul National University's Business Research Institute. Scores are based on in-depth survey data collected from customers who have made actual purchases.

Hanatour recorded the highest scores among all travel agencies surveyed across major evaluation categories, including accuracy, expertise, friendliness, proactiveness, ease of use and appearance. It outperformed the industry average particularly in expertise and ease of use, driven by the operation of its Hanapack 2.0 product and the introduction of AI services, respectively.

Hanapack 2.0 eliminates the group shopping stops long criticized in conventional package tours and bundles guide and driver expenses into the base price. Since the product's launch, Hanatour's own customer satisfaction index, the HCSI, has climbed from 77 points in 2019 to 87 points in the second quarter of 2026.

The adoption of AI technology has also supported improvements in ease of use. After the company introduced its "AI Refund Calendar" — which automatically informs customers of cancellation fees by airline — related inquiries fell 52 percent, reflecting gains in both operational efficiency and customer convenience.

"Our efforts to reduce friction and improve convenience at key customer touchpoints have led to this fifth consecutive No. 1 ranking," a company official said. "We will continue to focus on delivering customer-centered products and services going forward."


terry@heraldcorp.com