Half of Chuseok travelers head to Japan as short holiday limits options

With this year's Chuseok holiday spanning just four days, South Korean outbound travelers are flocking to nearby Japan, China and Southeast Asia. The combination of a short break and rising international fuel surcharges has made short-haul destinations — where flight times and costs are lower — the clear preference.

According to Yonhap, an analysis by Nol Universe of international flight bookings from Thursday through Sunday showed that 84 percent of all reservations were for short-haul destinations, including Japan, Southeast Asia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Japan stood out as the top destination, accounting for 52.5 percent of all overseas travel bookings — up 10.3 percentage points from 42.2 percent during last year's Chuseok holiday. In effect, one in every two outbound travelers chose Japan. Southeast Asia came second at 21.3 percent, followed by the greater China region at 10.5 percent, while Europe and the Americas were limited to 8.1 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.

The four-day length of this year's Chuseok holiday is seen as a key factor shaping destination choices. Last year, the holiday ran back-to-back with National Foundation Day, meaning travelers who took just one extra day of leave could enjoy up to 10 consecutive days off — enough time for a long-haul trip. This year, the window is comparatively tight.

Travel costs have also risen. On top of higher global oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East, international fuel surcharges climbed this month, drawing even more attention to short-haul destinations that can be visited at relatively low cost.

At Hana Tour, 90 percent of Chuseok overseas travel demand was concentrated in China, Japan and Southeast Asia. China led at 32 percent, followed by Japan at 31 percent and Southeast Asian destinations such as Vietnam and Thailand at 27 percent. "During typical holidays, those regions account for around 80 percent of bookings, but this year long-haul demand slowed due to the short holiday and fuel surcharge burden," a Hana Tour official said.

An analysis by Klook of site usage from Sept. 7 to Sept. 20 also ranked Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Thailand as the most popular destinations in that order. Interest in Japan and China rose 16 percent and 39 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year.

Japan travel is also diversifying beyond the usual Tokyo and Osaka circuit. Yellow Balloon said demand is growing for Hokkaido, Kyushu and lesser-known smaller Japanese cities.

The travel industry is expected to compete aggressively on short-haul products next month as well, given that another brief three-day holiday follows in October. "Short-haul preference has grown so strong that one in two overseas travelers this Chuseok chose Japan or China," a Yellow Balloon official said. "We plan to put together products offering affordable flights, hotels and car rentals for the October holiday as well."