'Best Value Travel Destinations' Are Japan and Thailand... Worst Is France

Consumer Reports Analyzes 27 Overseas Travel Destinations Last Year
Japan and Thailand Rated High for Cost-Effectiveness
France Ranked No.1 for Poor Cost-Effectiveness

Last year, when demand for overseas travel surged, Japan and Thailand were found to be the most cost-effective and satisfying travel destinations among travelers visiting abroad.

Panoramic view of the five-story pagoda at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.
Photo by freepik

According to the results of the "Cost-effectiveness using daily expenditure and satisfaction of 27 popular overseas travel destinations among domestic travelers" released on the 20th by Consumer Insight, a travel research specialist organization, Japan and Thailand ranked first as cost-effective destinations with "low cost and high satisfaction." Japan and Thailand had the highest cost-effectiveness index (+14) among the 27 countries. They were followed by Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Spain.

France was ranked first as a travel destination with poor cost-effectiveness due to "high cost and low satisfaction." The United States, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom followed. These countries had the highest daily travel expenses averaging 350,000 to 450,000 KRW, but their satisfaction levels were all in the mid to lower range.

Top travel destinations with "high cost and high satisfaction" were Switzerland, Italy, and New Zealand. These countries ranked highest in both travel costs and satisfaction, with almost no difference between the two.

The total travel expenses spent by overseas travelers averaged 2,575,000 KRW, which is about 300,000 KRW per day. By continent, Europe had the highest total cost at 4,444,000 KRW, followed by North America (3,557,000 KRW), South Pacific (2,239,000 KRW), and Asia (1,446,000 KRW), showing significant regional differences. European travel, which is expensive and takes a long time, costs more than three times the cheapest Asian travel.

2023 Overseas Travel Destinations 'Daily Cost and Satisfaction' [Graph = Consumer Insight]

In terms of daily expenses, Hawaii was the most expensive at an average of 458,000 KRW per day. It was followed by Switzerland (411,000 KRW), France (408,000 KRW), Italy, and the United Kingdom (each 390,000 KRW), all European countries. This is analyzed to be due to expensive airfare and significantly higher prices for dining and accommodation compared to Asia. On the other hand, the Philippines was the cheapest at 199,000 KRW, followed by Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, all in the low 200,000 KRW range.

Among Asian travel destinations frequently visited by Koreans, the daily travel costs for Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines were about 200,000 KRW, while Jeju Island, the most expensive domestic travel destination, cost 132,000 KRW. This means that traveling in Asia is possible at about 1.5 times the cost of traveling to Jeju.

In terms of traveler satisfaction for overseas destinations in 2023, Asia surpassed domestic travel destinations. The average satisfaction score for travelers in Asia was 734 points, almost the same level as Busan (736 points) and Gangwon (735 points), which ranked first and second in domestic travel satisfaction.

However, it was more than 10 points higher than Jeonnam (724 points) and Jeju (723 points), which ranked third and fourth. Compared to the high satisfaction of Japan (767 points) and Singapore (763 points), the top cost-effective countries for overseas travel, the domestic travel destinations are at a serious disadvantage. Unless cost-effectiveness in domestic travel improves, the trend toward overseas travel is expected to increase.

A Consumer Insight official said, "Overseas travel is rapidly recovering as the suppressed psychology has exploded," and added, "Considering the contradictory phenomena of economic contraction and the overseas travel boom, the choice of cost-effective Asian travel destinations with 'low cost and high satisfaction' is expected to increase in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.