Chuseok Travelers Flock to Short-Haul Destinations

South Korean travelers who took overseas trips during the recent Chuseok holiday mostly opted for short-haul destinations. Industry data shows that China, Japan, and Southeast Asia accounted for 90% of total bookings, up 7 percentage points from last year's 83%. According to Hana Tour, packages departing between September 23rd and 27th saw 32% of travelers heading to China, followed by Japan at 31%, and Southeast Asia at 27%. The peak booking day was September 24th, with 39% of total bookings.

Other tour operators reported similar patterns. Mode Tour found that China, Japan, and Southeast Asia made up about 88% of bookings during the same period, while Yellow Balloon Tour saw China accounting for 37.1% of bookings, followed by Japan at 30.5%. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's air portal information system also reported a surge in international passenger traffic, with a 9.8% increase to 68.435 million passengers between January and August.

The preference for short-haul travel has implications for the airline industry. Analysts attribute Japan's gains to the weak yen, which supported travel demand, while China's visa-free entry policies also contributed to increased passenger traffic. However, it is worth noting that passenger traffic on China routes rose 23.0% while flights only increased by 7.9%, indicating that demand recovered faster than capacity expanded.