Japan Accounts for 50% of Overseas Accommodation Bookings
Demand Diversifies to Taiwan, the United States, Dubai and Beyond
Japan has been tallied as the most popular travel destination for Koreans during this Lunar New Year holiday. It is reported that 1 out of every 2 outbound travelers is planning a trip to Japan.
It was belatedly revealed that around early April last year a man believed to be Lee Jaeyong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, was photographed dining alone at a small ramen shop in Kyoto, Japan, sparking online attention. YouTube channel Pogeumin
According to reservation data (based on check-in and usage dates) for this year’s Lunar New Year holiday (February 14-18), released on the 11th by the travel-related e-commerce company Nolyunibeoseu, Japan accounted for nearly 50% of all overseas accommodation bookings. In particular, customized products such as Japan transportation passes and theme parks dominated the top ranks. This is interpreted to mean that Japanese travelers are largely opting for independent travel.
Japan is a representative destination that enjoys strong popularity among Korean tourists. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), 9.45 million Korean tourists visited Japan in 2024, making Korea the No. 1 source market ahead of China (9.09 million).
On the 11th, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, passengers are lining up at the departure hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 to check in. Yonhap News
Although Japan’s popularity is overwhelming, the overall demand for overseas travel from Korea is gradually diversifying. Taiwan and the United States newly entered the top five countries for overseas accommodation bookings. In package products, Vietnam showed strong performance, increasing its share of total reservations by more than 10 percentage points compared with the previous year. Vietnam is home to a number of Southeast Asian resort destinations popular with Koreans, such as Danang and Hoi An.
Dubai also ranked 10th in package tour reservations. Analysts say this is due to relatively stable airfares to Dubai and rising interest in so-called “Dubai desserts,” such as Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie (Dujjon Cookie).
For domestic travel, regions with good accessibility from the Seoul metropolitan area were preferred. Gangwon Province accounted for 18%, followed by Gyeonggi Province at 12% and North Gyeongsang Province at 9%.
Meanwhile, because this year’s Lunar New Year break is short, travel demand was clearly concentrated at the beginning of the holiday. During the long “golden holiday” in October last year, only 17% of bookings were for check-in on the first day, but for this Lunar New Year the figure nearly doubled to 33%.
Nolyunibeoseu analyzed, “There is a stronger trend toward planning travel timing and destinations carefully to fit a short schedule,” adding, “Leisure spending is changing, with traditional hotspots remaining strong while interest in unique destinations rises at the same time.”
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