"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 the most recent Chuseok holiday period, demand for overseas travel was found to have been concentrated on short-haul destinations such as China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In particular, Southeast Asia, a consistently popular travel region, saw increased local prices and higher fuel surcharges, making travel there more expensive and contributing to this trend.

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According to the relevant industry on September 28, reservations for overseas travel through Hanatour during the recent Chuseok holiday (departures from the 23rd to the 27th) showed that short-haul routes such as China (32%), Japan (31%), and Southeast Asia (27%) accounted for 90% of bookings. This was up by 7 percentage points from 83% during the same holiday period last year. By departure date, September 24 accounted for the highest proportion of bookings at 39%, with September 23 also high at 23%, indicating that demand for overseas travel was concentrated at the start of the holiday.

Similarly, for Modetour, short-haul regions such as China, Japan, and Southeast Asia accounted for about 88% of all overseas travel bookings for departures between September 24 and 27. By region, China had 35.7%, Japan 26.9%, Southeast Asia 24.9%, Europe 5.1%, and the Americas and South Pacific at 4.7%.

A Modetour representative explained, "This Chuseok holiday was relatively short, and continued high exchange rates and fuel surcharges led to a clear trend of demand concentrating on short-haul travel, which offers better schedule utilization and less travel fatigue." The representative added, "For China and Japan, the increase in airline capacity and a wider range of available regions and products led to a surge in last-minute bookings before 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

At Yellow Balloon Tour, the highest share of holiday-period departures went to China at 37.1%, followed by Japan at 30.5%, Vietnam at 9.4%, and Taiwan at 7.4%. A representative explained, "There was strong preference for areas ideal for family travel, such as Shanghai, Hokkaido, and Danang." In fact, travelers accompanied by adult children made up 25.5% of bookings, while three-generation family trips accounted for 22.9%.

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

Additionally, for Kyowon Tour's Travel Easy, bookings departing between September 23 and 26 showed Japan in first place, accounting for 40.5% of all reservations. China followed at 24.3%, with Taiwan at 5.6%, Vietnam at 5.3%, and Northern Europe at 3.9%. In Japan, not only major cities like Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo but also smaller cities known for hot springs, gourmet food, and nature saw travel demand spread out. For China, the majority of bookings were for travel packages centered on natural scenery, such as Taihang Mountains, Guilin, Baekdu Mountain, and Zhangjiajie.

A Kyowon Tour representative said, "During this Chuseok holiday, there is strong preference for nearby destinations with shorter travel times. We expect this demand to continue, particularly for Japan and China, during the October holidays for National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day. There will also likely be a significant number of travelers using annual leave to take long-haul trips to regions such as Europe."

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