"Don't Go to Japan, Go to Korea"... 29% Surge in Chinese Visitors During National Day Holiday

A Record 4.82 Million Chinese Visitors to Korea from January to August
Up 29% from Last Year—1.8 Times More Than Those Visiting Japan

With the arrival of China's major holiday, the Golden Week for National Day (October 1–7), demand for overseas travel is surging, and Chinese tourists are flocking to Korea. While the number of Chinese visitors to Korea is rapidly increasing, the number of those visiting Japan has significantly decreased, raising expectations among Korea’s domestic tourism and retail sectors, including hotels, duty-free shops, and department stores.

Foreign tourists visiting Korea for major East Asian holidays such as China's National Day are seen moving after shopping on the streets of Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 5th. Yonhap News Agency

According to industry sources on the 5th, demand for travel to Korea by Chinese tourists is on the rise, coinciding with the expansion of air routes between Korea and China. The Korea Tourism Organization reported that between January and August of this year, 4,816,134 Chinese people visited Korea, up 29% from 3,733,606 during the same period last year. This exceeds the overall growth rate of inbound visitors to Korea for the same period, which was 21.6%. Chinese-speaking visitors from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong totaled 7,005,163, an increase of 28.9% from a year earlier.

More Chinese Tourists Visit Korea Than Japan—1.8 Times Higher

According to the "International Tourism Trends 2026 Issue 8," recently published by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea in July was 777,000, up 29% year-on-year. This figure is 149.6% of the July 2019 level and accounted for 37.1% of all inbound visitors to Korea that month.

On September 29, ahead of the Chinese National Day holiday, Chinese tourists planning to spend the holiday in Korea are entering through the Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. Photo by Yonhap News.

In contrast, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan has fallen sharply. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reported that in July, 428,200 Chinese people visited Japan—a decrease of 56.1% from the same month last year. The number of Chinese visiting Korea that month was about 1.8 times greater than those visiting Japan.

Last July, roughly 975,000 Chinese visited Japan—about 1.6 times the 600,000 who visited Korea. However, over just one year, the trend has reversed. Industry insiders attribute this change to a combination of factors including continued reluctance by the Chinese government regarding travel to Japan, alongside the expansion of direct flights to Korea.

2.1 Billion People on the Move for National Day... Surge in Trips to Korea

Nationwide travel is taking place across China during the National Day holiday. The Chinese Ministry of Transport projected that the total number of inter-regional trips during this holiday period would reach 2.13 billion, averaging about 300 million trips per day—1.7 times the usual volume. China’s National Immigration Administration also estimated that, during the holiday period, the number of daily inbound and outbound border crossings would average 2.15 million.

Tourists are shopping at Shinsegae Duty Free Shop Myeongdong Branch. Photo by Yonhap News

Amid this surge in overseas travel demand, Korea’s hotel and retail industries are stepping up efforts to capture the influx of Chinese tourists. Lotte Tour Development expected its room occupancy rate in October—including the National Day holiday—to rise from last year's 84.4% to about 94% this year. With further expansion of direct international routes, they are also anticipating an increase in casino guests, not just in room occupancy.

Duty-free and department stores are also expanding payment and discount benefits tailored for Chinese tourists. Shinsegae Duty-Free Shop is offering up to 5% in preferential exchange rates for Chinese customers using Alipay Plus and is also holding a special lucky draw event. Customers using WeChat Pay will receive a 50-yuan payment coupon, while UnionPay customers can earn up to 300,000 won in duty-free points based on their purchase amount.

As of the morning of the 6th, Lotte Department Store announced that its cumulative foreigner sales for the year had surpassed 1 trillion won. In Myeongdong alone, sales reached 520 billion won, and foreign shopping is also increasing in areas like Jamsil and Busan. To celebrate the National Day holiday, the department store is running a campaign through the end of this month to return 10% of the purchase amount as Lotte gift certificates to foreign customers who pay with UnionPay.

“Mass Shopping Sprees” Giving Way to Personalized Consumption... Tourist Hotspots Spreading Beyond Seoul

The spending patterns of Chinese tourists are also changing. In the past, group tourists were known for so-called “mass shopping sprees” at duty-free shops, buying products like cosmetics in bulk. Recently, however, more individual travelers are choosing a variety of goods based on their personal preferences. Unlike in the past, when purchases focused mainly on beauty products, the range is now diversifying to include fashion, food, liquor and tobacco, luxury goods, watches, and jewelry.

A foreign tourist is browsing the food section on Myeongdong Street in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

There are also signs of change in the previous trend, where tourism demand was heavily concentrated in Seoul. Accommodation booking platform AllMyTour analyzed reservations for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays in mid-September and found that Chinese hotel bookings in Busan increased by 119.5% year-on-year. In contrast, the increase for Seoul was 4.2%.

Government data also show that, from January to August this year, 27.8% of foreign visitors entered Korea through regional airports and ports. With Chinese tourism demand spreading to regions beyond Seoul, attention is turning to whether holiday benefits will also reach tourism and retail sectors in Busan, Jeju, and other areas. Industry leaders are diversifying their strategies to attract Chinese tourists, combining not only price discounts but also Korean brand and content experiences and collaborative payment and travel programs.

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