Once They Take Off, They Spend Double Their Salary... Travel Big Spenders 'Asia MZ'

Preference for 'Special Activities' Grows
SNS Dominates Travel Destination Recommendations

The MZ generation (those born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) is rapidly emerging as a major spender in overseas travel.

The number of Japanese visitors to Korea has increased. The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 23rd that the number of Japanese travelers visiting Korea last month was 282,479, a 20% increase compared to June of last year. Additionally, the number of Japanese travelers visiting Korea in the first half of this year (January to June) was 1,653,686, a 27% increase compared to the same period last year (1,306,176). This is in contrast to the 3.8% decrease in Korean travelers visiting Japan during the first half of the year. The photo shows tourists pulling their suitcases at the airport bus stop on the 24th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

According to a travel trend survey conducted by the global travel platform 'Klook' in August targeting 18-40 year olds in the Asia-Pacific region, one in three MZ generation individuals in the Asia-Pacific area expressed willingness to spend an average of over $2,000 (approximately 2.64 million KRW) on overseas travel. This amount is double the average monthly income in the region ($1,069, approximately 1.41 million KRW).

The countries in the Asia-Pacific region that responded with the highest willingness to spend on travel were Mainland China (58%) and Hong Kong (39%). These respondents indicated they are willing to spend over $3,000 (approximately 3.96 million KRW) on overseas travel.

Korean MZ generation travelers are not far behind. About 47% of Korean respondents said they intend to spend more than $2,000 on their next planned travel itinerary.

So why does the MZ generation spend particularly large amounts on travel? The survey results show that the MZ generation values 'special experiences' the most.

Nine out of ten respondents said that having special or memorable experiences during travel is important, and 85% said they would invest in various experiential activities for this reason. This is interpreted as a cause for the increased travel expenses.

Passenger plane waiting at the airport. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article.

Among Korean travelers, 76% of all respondents said they would 'invest in special experiences.' The 'worthwhile experiences' chosen by domestic MZ travelers were massage and hot springs (54%), nature and outdoor activities (47%), and theme parks (46%), in that order.

The media that most influences this generation’s choice of travel destinations is undoubtedly social networking services (SNS). Especially among the Z generation aged 10-20, nine out of ten check online reviews before booking travel products and rely on SNS content recommendations when planning trips.

The SNS platforms they mainly prefer are Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Notably, 85% of Korean MZ generation respondents said, "I use Instagram when planning travel," showing an overwhelming preference for Instagram.