"I Thought Everyone Was Heading to Japan"... The Top Overseas Travel Destination for Chuseok Was This Unexpected Country

Hanatour, Modetour, Yellow Balloon, KYOWON Tour and Other Major Travel Agencies

Chuseok Holiday Overseas Travel Bookings Concentrated Among Major Agencies

Short Holidays and High Costs Drive Demand for Short-Haul Destinations

During this year's Chuseok holiday, demand for overseas travel was concentrated in short-haul destinations such as China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. This trend is believed to be driven by increased local prices in Southeast Asia—a traditionally popular travel destination—as well as the rising cost burden due to higher fuel surcharges.

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According to the related industry on September 28, short-haul routes such as China (32%), Japan (31%), and Southeast Asia (27%) accounted for 90% of all overseas travel bookings with Hanatour during the Chuseok holiday period (departures between September 23 and 27). This figure is up by 7 percentage points from the 83% share in the same period last year. Bookings by departure date were most concentrated at the beginning of the holiday: September 24 accounted for the highest share at 39%, followed by September 23 at 23%.

For Modetour, based on bookings for departures between September 24 and 27, short-haul regions such as China, Japan, and Southeast Asia made up about 88% of all overseas travel reservations. By region, the share was China 35.7%, Japan 26.9%, Southeast Asia 24.9%, Europe 5.1%, and the Americas & South Pacific 4.7%.

A Modetour official stated, "This year, the Chuseok holiday was relatively short. Combined with ongoing cost burdens such as the high exchange rate and fuel surcharges, demand has clearly concentrated on short-haul destinations where trips are easier to organize and travel is less burdensome," adding, "In China and Japan, the expansion of flight supply and the growing range of available travel destinations and product choices led to a surge in last-minute bookings ahead of the holiday."

Travelers visiting Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the 23rd, a day before the largest ethnic holiday Chuseok, are moving towards the departure hall. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Yellow Balloon Tour's reservations for the holiday period showed China in the lead with 37.1%, followed by Japan at 30.5%, Vietnam at 9.4%, and Taiwan at 7.4%. A representative from Yellow Balloon Tour analyzed, "Destinations such as Shanghai, Hokkaido, and Danang, which are suitable for families traveling together, were especially popular." In fact, travelers accompanied by adult children accounted for 25.5%, and three-generation family trips made up 22.9% of the bookings.

On the 23rd, one day before the nation's largest holiday, the Chuseok holiday, travelers visiting Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 are moving toward the departure hall. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Elsewhere, for Kyowon Tour's Travel Easy, based on bookings for departures between September 23 and 26, Japan topped the list with 40.5% of all reservations. China followed with 24.3%, Taiwan with 5.6%, Vietnam with 5.3%, and Northern Europe with 3.9%. In Japan, travel demand was spread not only across major cities such as Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo, but also to smaller cities known for hot springs, gourmet cuisine, or natural attractions. In China, most bookings were for travel products focused on natural scenery, such as Taihangshan, Guilin, Baekdu Mountain, and Zhangjiajie.

A Kyowon Tour official commented, "This Chuseok holiday has shown a high preference for nearby destinations with short travel times. We expect demand to continue to center on Japan and China during the upcoming October holidays for National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day, while there will also be a significant number of travelers using their annual leave to go on long-distance trips to destinations like Europe."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.