"Poor Korea" and "Never Come Back": Japanese Netizens React to News of 250,000 Chinese Tourists Visiting Korea

Korea Emerges as Top Spring Festival Destination
Japanese Online Users Say "This Actually Works Out Well"

On the morning of the 6th, about 3,000 Chinese tourists who were passengers on the MSC Bellissima (170,000-ton class), which docked at the Incheon Yeonsu-gu International Cruise Terminal, were entering the country. Yonhap News

As tensions between China and Japan continue and the Chinese government maintains its so-called "Hanilryeong (Japan travel restriction order)" policy, which advises against travel to Japan, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea is surging. In particular, with forecasts that up to 250,000 Chinese tourists will visit Korea during the Lunar New Year holiday, which corresponds to the Chinese Spring Festival, reactions such as "This actually works out well" are spreading on Japanese online platforms.

Sharp increase in Chinese visitors to Korea... "Up to 250,000 during Spring Festival"

A Chinese tourist visiting Myeong-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul, is smiling brightly.

Ahead of the Chinese Spring Festival holiday (February 15-23), Korea has emerged as the top destination for Chinese group tourists. Market research firm China Trading Desk projected that 230,000 to 250,000 Chinese nationals will visit Korea during this year's Spring Festival period. This represents an increase of up to 52% compared to last year.

Demand for flights to Korea is also clearly visible in air travel indicators. As of early January this year, among international flights departing from mainland China, flights bound for Korea numbered 1,012, far outpacing those to Thailand (862 flights) and Japan (736 flights). During the Spring Festival period, more than 1,300 flights are expected to operate on Korea-China routes, about 25% more than a year earlier.

Assuming more than 1,000 flights per week, an average of 180 seats per flight, and a load factor of 95%, approximately 200,000 people could enter Korea by air alone over the nine days of the Spring Festival holiday. If you add about 50,000 passengers arriving by ferry at the Incheon and Pyeongtaek ports and by cruise ships calling at Jeju and Busan, the total could rise to as many as 250,000.

Visa applications are also clearly on the rise. According to the Korean Embassy in China, from November last year through January this year, applications for visas to visit Korea totaled 330,613, an increase of 34% from the same period a year earlier. Among these, tourist visas jumped by more than 45%, supporting the recovery in demand for travel to Korea.

"No Chinese tourists? Even better"... Reactions from Japanese netizens

Chinese tourists visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are enjoying their time.

As this news spread, Japanese netizens on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) reacted by posting comments like, "This actually works out well," "It's a relief that Korea is taking in the Chinese instead," "Life has become more comfortable because it's less crowded without Chinese visitors," "Go to Korea and never come back," "All Chinese tourists are ill-mannered," and "I feel sorry for Korea," among many others. Some users also took a positive view of the decline in tourists, saying that "even if the number of Chinese tourists decreases, it will not have a major impact on the Japanese economy."

Meanwhile, the tourism industry is watching closely to see whether this Spring Festival boom will remain a short-term event or lead to a sustained recovery in demand for travel to Korea. Industry insiders commonly point out that "since tourism flows can change rapidly depending on external factors such as political variables and exchange rates, a stable demand management strategy is necessary."