Overseas and Domestic Airfare Contrasts
Demand for Favorite Travel Destination 'Jeju' Declines
Overseas Bookings Surge... Japan Ranks First
#. Park (40), an office worker who used to visit Jeju for family trips at the end of the year, traveled to Japan last year-end. Feeling that the travel expenses were considerable each time, he decided that it was better to travel abroad once the overseas travel restrictions were lifted. He said, "When looking for a decent place, accommodation costs became too expensive, and I wondered if it was right to travel domestically with that money. At that point, I thought it would be better to go overseas nearby if the cost was similar."
Overseas travel increases, domestic travel decreases... Mixed fortunes for airline tickets
As the number of domestic travelers departing abroad has significantly increased, travel to Jeju, a representative domestic destination, is decreasing. Since November, when overseas travel restrictions were lifted, demand for Jeju has gradually declined, which is analyzed as tourists who used to travel domestically now turning their attention overseas.
According to Mobile Index, a domestic mobile data analysis platform, the weekly active users (WAU) of 'Yogi-otdae,' a leading domestic accommodation booking app, during last year's Christmas period (December 19?25) was 1,278,619. This is 500,000 fewer than the WAU during the peak summer vacation period from late July to early August (1.78?1.79 million) and even less than the same period in 2021 when COVID-19 was rampant (1,309,392). Another accommodation booking app, 'Yanolja,' recorded a WAU of 1,627,876 from December 19?25, 2022, which also significantly decreased compared to 1,696,435 during December 20?26 the previous year.
Domestic visitors to Jeju decrease by 5?8% compared to the previous year
The situation is similar for Jeju, a representative domestic travel destination. According to the Jeju Tourism Association, demand for Jeju has gradually declined since November last year. Since the resumption of overseas travel, the number of domestic tourists has turned downward recently. In November last year, 1,141,311 domestic tourists visited Jeju, a 5.2% decrease compared to 1,203,685 in the same period the previous year. In December, the number of domestic tourists visiting Jeju was 998,065, down 8.3% from 1,088,751 in the same period last year.
Jang (30), who was considering a trip to Jeju this winter, also changed plans. Jang said, "Car rental fees are too expensive, and it's intimidating to try to book popular places because of the reservation wars. I'm looking into nearby Japan or more affordable Southeast Asian destinations."
Demand for overseas airline tickets surges... Japan ranks first
As COVID-19 entered the endemic phase last year and countries began easing entry and exit restrictions, the number of travelers heading abroad surged. According to Yanolja's '2022 Travel Behavior of Koreans,' over 80% of overseas travel bookings were concentrated in the second half of the year when entry and exit restrictions began to ease, with an average of about 50,000 travel bookings per day.
In particular, the number of overseas package bookings grew by 2,064% year-on-year, and international airline ticket sales increased by 1,171%. Japan ranked first as the most popular overseas travel destination, accounting for 20.7% of international airline tickets. From October to December last year, when visa-free entry was allowed, Yanolja's transaction amount for Japanese accommodations surged 482% compared to the same period in 2019, and the number of bookings increased by 295%.
Following Japan, Vietnam (16.3%), Thailand (11.9%), the United States (9.4%), and the Philippines (8.5%) were popular travel destinations. Package tours also showed strong demand for traditionally favored nearby overseas destinations among Koreans, such as Vietnam (26.9%), Thailand (10.7%), the Philippines (9.3%), Japan (8.2%), and Guam (4.7%).
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