South Korea Tops List of Chinese New Year Travelers, Japan Falls to Third Place

30% Surge in Chinese Tourists to South Korea During New Year Holiday
Japan Drops to Third with 33% Decline Amid Strained China-Japan Relations

South Korea emerged as the most popular overseas travel destination for Chinese tourists during the recent New Year holiday.

According to Chinese financial media outlet Caixin and Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily on January 8, South Korea ranked first among round-trip international flight destinations from mainland China between December 29 of last year and January 4, which included the New Year’s Day holiday.

Foreign tourists visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul

Based on data compiled by Chinese aviation analytics firm Hangban Guanzha, there were 1,012 flights to South Korea during this period, recovering to 97.2% of the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak. Thailand came in second with 862 flights, followed by Japan with 736 flights.

Data from the Civil Aviation Data Analysis System (CADAS) also showed that the largest number of Chinese travelers went to South Korea. Between December 30 and January 5, the number of Chinese travelers to South Korea reached 331,000, up 30% from the same period last year, making it the top destination.

In contrast, the number of Chinese travelers to Japan dropped by 33% year-on-year to 258,000, ranking third, while Thailand saw a 14% decrease to 285,000, ranking second.

This trend is believed to be a result of the recent deterioration in China-Japan relations. In November of last year, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks suggesting Japan might intervene in the event of a Taiwan contingency, the Chinese government began urging its citizens to refrain from visiting Japan. As demand for travel to Japan from mainland China declined, South Korea has increasingly become an alternative destination, a trend that has continued since the end of last year.

Chinese media also reported that South Korea was the most preferred overseas travel destination among Chinese university students. Among working professionals in their 20s and 30s, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam were also highly popular. Japan, which had previously been the most favored overseas destination for Chinese travelers during holidays before the deterioration in China-Japan relations, has recently fallen out of favor.

Meanwhile, approximately 5.09 million tourists from mainland China visited South Korea between January and November last year. If the “balloon effect” from the strained China-Japan relations continues, the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea could expand to as many as 7 million this year.