"Am I the Only One Staying Home?"... This Golden Holiday, Travel Beats Hometown Visits, and the Top Destination Is 'Here'

Asian Destinations Remain Strong, While Long-Haul Travel to Europe and the Americas Surges
Seoul Rises in the Rankings of Popular Cities Among International Travelers

As the Chuseok holiday in 2025 is set to last up to ten days, reservation data for overseas travel shows that Japan is the most popular destination among Korean travelers.

The travel booking platform Klook announced on the 6th that, according to its analysis of reservations made between September 1 and 22 in its "2025 Chuseok Holiday Overseas Travel Trends" report, Japan ranked as the number one overseas destination for Koreans. Other Asian countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Indonesia also showed strong demand.

On the first day of the Chuseok holiday, the duty-free area of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport is bustling with travelers. Photo by Yonhap News

Within Japan, the most popular cities were Fukuoka, Osaka, and Tokyo, in that order, highlighting the preference for nearby destinations. Compared to the same period last year, bookings for Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong increased by an average of 21%, while bookings for Southeast Asian destinations decreased by about 6%.

On the other hand, there was a notable increase in demand for long-haul travel during the extended holiday. Bookings for the Americas grew by 21%, Europe by 35%, Turkey by a remarkable 111%, and the Middle East overall by 71%, indicating a wider range of destination choices.

Domestic travel demand is also noteworthy. Reservations for visits to Korea from countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China have increased significantly. With Osaka and Tokyo ranking first and second among popular overseas cities, Seoul came in third. Seoul’s appeal-driven by K-culture, shopping, and cuisine-has led to a significant rise in visitors from regions such as Australia and Indonesia. According to global travel platform Trip.com, during the Golden Week period from September 27 to October 8, bookings for travel to Korea were high from Asian markets including Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China, with Australia seeing an 84% increase and Indonesia a 63% increase.

There are also clear signs of change in travel styles. While group package tours were once dominant, the focus is shifting toward independent travel and local experiences. Countries such as China and Spain have also seen an increase in bookings for customized individual tours, and travelers are increasingly creating their own itineraries by combining flights, accommodations, activities, and transportation themselves.

An industry insider commented, "As more travelers seek unique experiences during the long holiday, developing customized products and locally immersive content has become even more important," adding, "Moving away from a structure that relies solely on package tours, it is now essential to offer flexible product options and strengthen digital-based services."