Golden Week Begins: Japanese Tourists Visiting Seoul
Yen Weakness and Overseas High Prices Impact
Short and Affordable Destinations in Spotlight
Seoul, Taipei, Honolulu in Order
On the 1st, citizens and tourists visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul are walking. [Image source=Yonhap News]
During Japan's Golden Week (April 27 to May 6), as short and affordable travel destinations gain attention, Seoul has emerged as a popular travel spot.
On the 1st, Japan's Kyodo News reported after interviewing major travel agencies that "Japanese travelers are feeling the difficulties of the weak yen and rising overseas prices, and during the Golden Week holidays, they are choosing shorter, cheaper, and closer overseas trips." According to Japan's largest travel agency HIS, the average cost of overseas travel this year was 204,900 yen (approximately 1.8 million KRW), and the average travel duration was 6.0 days. Compared to last year's Golden Week, the cost decreased by 1.5%, and the travel duration dropped by 1.0 day. In the ranking of the most popular travel destinations, Seoul, the capital of Korea, took first place, followed by Taipei, Taiwan in second place, showing the popularity of nearby Asian regions. Honolulu, Hawaii, which traditionally held the top spot before the pandemic, fell to third place.
Overseas travel bookings during the holiday period increased by 23.2% compared to the 2023 holidays. In Japan, by taking three days of paid leave from late April to early May, one can get up to 10 days off. A woman from Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo, who went on vacation to Singapore, told Kyodo News, "Due to price increases, I don't plan to buy souvenirs," adding, "I want to focus on enjoying sightseeing and food." According to HIS, despite the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the number of overseas travel bookings during the holiday period is still 46.7% lower than the same period in 2018.
On the 1st, Myeongdong Street in Seoul is bustling with citizens and tourists. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Seoul has previously emerged as the top travel destination for Golden Week in several surveys. This is based on an analysis last month by the Korea Tourism Organization of overseas travel trends and search rankings announced by major Japanese travel agencies JTB, HIS, and the global online travel agency Expedia Japan. JTB's '2024 Golden Week Travel Trends' forecast that the number of Japanese overseas travelers will grow by 167.7% compared to the previous year, reaching about 520,000 people, and is expected to recover up to 90% compared to pre-COVID levels. The top overseas travel destinations were Korea (20.5%), Southeast Asia (16.7%), and Taiwan (13.5%).
According to HIS's '2024 Golden Week Travel Booking Trends' announced on April 4, the number of overseas travel bookings grew by 123.2% compared to the previous year. Seoul ranked first, followed by Taiwan and Hawaii. Busan ranked fifth, and Jeju was tenth, with three Korean cities included in the top 10. On March 22, Expedia Japan also announced the 'Golden Week Overseas Travel Search Rankings,' where Seoul ranked first in both total destination search volume and solo travel destination search volume. Last year, Seoul's search ranking was fourth, behind Okinawa, Taipei, and Bangkok.
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