In the third quarter of 2024, Vietnam surpassed Japan for the first time to become the most popular tourist destination for Koreans; the third most popular destination for Korean tourists is China.

According to a VNA reporter in Seoul, the results of the analysis of Tourism Trends in the third quarter of 2024 released by Kyowon Tour Travel Easy Group on July 8 showed that Vietnam ranked first among the favorite foreign tourist destinations of Koreans, surpassing even Japan.

According to the analysis of travel booking data in the third quarter of this year, while Vietnam and Japan are still the two destinations with high booking demand in the third quarter of this year, the increase in the number of Chinese tourists is also very noticeable.

This result is thanks to many airlines resuming and expanding flights to China during the summer.

While Vietnam and Japan are competing for the top spot as the most popular tourist destination for Koreans, the third quarter of 2024 was the first time Vietnam surpassed Japan with 13.7%, higher than Japan's 13.2%.

Next is the demand for booking to China at 11.7% and the potential shows that the Chinese market is quickly narrowing the gap compared to the two markets No. 1 and No. 2. Kyowon Tour Travel Easy predicts that when the demand for Chinese tourism increases, the system of "3 powers" Vietnam, Japan and China will continue to be maintained.

Thailand, a country always popular with Korean tourists, dropped to fourth place with 9% and Mongolia in fifth place with 7.1% of bookings.

Mongolia is considered a unique travel destination for the MZ generation. Mongolia's friendly infrastructure development seems to have increased its popularity among Korean tourists.

Tourism industry analysis shows that short-distance travel destinations account for 80% of total bookings during the peak summer travel season in 2024, especially during the Chuseok holiday, the biggest holiday of the year for Koreans.

The reason is that Koreans mainly choose tourist destinations where they can vacation without having to worry much about the cost.

According to the analysis of travel booking data, this year's Chuseok holiday will have a longer break, lasting from September 14 to 22, and demand for overseas travel is expected to increase the most.

During this period, Japan led with 17% of bookings, followed by China with 14.7% and Vietnam ranked third with 14.4%.

In addition to short-distance destinations in Southeast Asia and Japan, Eastern Europe also has high booking volumes.

A leader of Kyowon Tour Travel Easy Group said that due to the impact of high inflation, more and more customers are choosing short-distance foreign tourist destinations during the holidays or taking vacations early to avoid peak seasons to reduce the burden of expenses./.