Vietnam has surpassed Japan to top the list of favourable foreign destinations of Korean tourists, according to the travel trend analysis for the third quarter of 2024, which was released by the Republic of Korea (RoK) travel firm Kyowon Tour Travel Easy on July 8.
Travel booking data in the third quarter of this year showed that while Vietnam and Japan are still two destinations with high demand for reservations in the period, the increase in the number of tourists choosing China has also been remarkable, it said, attributing the result to many airlines’ resumption and expansion of flights to China during the summer.
For the third quarter of 2024, for the first time, reservation rate for Vietnam reached 13.7%, higher than that of Japan at 13.2%. China ranked third in the list with 11.7%. Thailand came fourth at 7.1%, followed by Mongolia.
The analysis also showed that short-distance travel destinations accounted for 80% of all bookings during the 2024 summer travel peak season, especially the Chuseok (Mid-Autumn) holiday, the biggest holiday of Koreans in a year, which is slated for September 14-22. During the holiday, 17% of Korean travellers have booked destinations in Japan, 14.7% chosen China and 14.4% selected Vietnam.
A leader of Kyowon Tour Travel Easy said that due to the impact of high inflation, more Koreans have chosen short-distance foreign destinations during the holiday season or for early vacation to avoid the peak season to reduce the burden of cost./
