For Labour Day break, Chinese tourists journey to Japan, visa-free destinations as South Korea’s appeal wanes
- A cheaper Japanese yen is too appealing to pass up for many of China’s outbound holidaymakers
- Gone are the pre-pandemic days when South Korea had a stronger pull on Chinese travellers
A version of this article has also been published by The Korea Times in partnership with the South China Morning Post.
During China’s ongoing “golden week” holiday, South Korea is expected to see a decline in Chinese tourists compared with pre-pandemic levels, travel agents said, as holidaymakers are increasingly favouring visa-free destinations and neighbouring Japan, enticed by a weakened yen.
The shift in tourist preferences presents challenges for South Korea’s tourism sector as it grapples with the enduring impact of the pandemic, particularly given the significant spending power of Chinese visitors.
A number of Chinese visa agents said that the number of Chinese people applying for South Korean visas ahead of the five-day Labour Day holiday, which started on Wednesday, plummeted compared with the same period in 2019, before the pandemic hit in 2020 and China effectively closed its borders to international travel.
Wang Xin, a travel agent with Beijing Tianping International Travel, who specialises in visa services, said the number of people seeking South Korean travel visa services had dropped by at least a third compared with 2019 levels.