Instead of Chuseok Rituals, Travel Plans Dominate: Gangwon Tops Domestic, Japan Leads Overseas Destinations

30.5% Plan Domestic Trips, 16.9% Overseas
Top Domestic Destinations: Gangwon, Gyeongsang, Jeju, Jeolla, Chungcheong
Top Overseas Destinations: Japan, Southeast Asia, Americas, Oceania, China

The departure hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 was crowded with people traveling abroad during the Chuseok holiday period on September 13 last year. Photo by Jo Yongjun

With the long nine-day Chuseok holiday approaching, nearly half of all adults plan to travel, according to a recent survey. In particular, the percentage of respondents planning domestic trips reached 30.5%, an increase of 20.6 percentage points compared to last year’s 9.9%, and was about twice as high as the figure for overseas travel.

On September 25, Lotte Members’ proprietary research platform, Lime, released the results of its Chuseok plans survey. The survey, conducted from August 28 to 29, targeted 1,000 adults nationwide and has a margin of error of ±3.10 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Lotte Members' proprietary research platform 'Lime' conducted a survey on Chuseok plans. Lime

For this Chuseok holiday, the largest group of respondents (47.4%) said they planned to travel, with 30.5% opting for domestic travel and 16.9% for overseas travel. Notably, domestic travel intentions increased by 20.6 percentage points from the previous year, while overseas travel also rose by 10.5 percentage points, indicating that many people intend to take advantage of the extended holiday period to travel.

Chuseok plans survey conducted by Lotte Members' own research platform 'Lime'. Lime

About three out of ten respondents said they would use annual leave to extend their holiday. The most popular domestic destinations were Gangwon Province (Gangneung, Chuncheon, etc.) at 27.2%, followed by Gyeongsang Province (Busan, Tongyeong, etc.) at 26.6%, Jeju Island at 25.9%, Jeolla Province (Yeosu, Suncheon, etc.) at 23.3%, and Chungcheong Province (Daejeon, Taean, etc.) at 19.3%. The average trip duration was 4.5 days.

Chuseok plan survey conducted by Lotte Members' own research platform 'Lime'. Lime

Among overseas destinations, Japan was the overwhelming favorite at 39.6%. This was followed by Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) at 20.7%, the Americas (United States, Canada, etc.) at 11.2%, and Oceania (Guam, Australia, etc.) at 8.3%.