This year, the Chuseok or Korean Mid-Autumn Festival holiday lasts for 5 days from September 14 to September 18, with 2 extra days off on September 19 and 20. Many Koreans also take extra weekends off to travel for up to 9 days. This is the second biggest holiday of the year for Koreans, to relax, gather with family and travel.
According to Korea Stripes, Korean tour bookings to Japan have skyrocketed 80%, and to China they have doubled. Travel to Southeast Asian destinations such as Vietnam and the Philippines has also seen significant growth, with figures of 40% and 166% respectively.
According to tourism industry reports, resorts in popular tourist destinations in Korea are quickly filling up. Since late August, many resorts in Busan have been fully booked from September 14 to September 17. Chuseok is a peak holiday for families, so resorts are booked faster and more than hotels.
The number of Korean tourists traveling abroad has also increased, especially to destinations that are close to short flights. Hana Tour said that the number of customers booking international tours during September 13-15 increased by 10% compared to the first three days of the 2023 Chuseok holiday. Yellow Balloon Travel recorded a 20% increase in bookings for travel services during September 13-15 compared to the same period last year.
Thailand is also preparing for an influx of South Korean tourists during the Chuseok holiday from August. This increase is expected to maintain its growth momentum and the number of South Korean visitors to Thailand is expected to reach 2 million this year.
Chuwit Sirivejkul, Director of Marketing for Southeast Asia at the Tourism Directorate of Thailand (TAT), emphasized that Korean tourists have always ranked at the top among Thailand's inbound markets throughout the past year. Most of them are independent travelers, family groups, honeymooners, golfers or businessmen.
Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said that tour groups of Korean tourists are recovering despite a shift to smaller groups.
As of July, more than 5.1 million South Korean visitors came to Thailand, while 3.6 million visitors came to Vietnam, becoming the leading tourism market of these countries in 2023.
According to Korea Times, information from Incheon International Airport shows that the airport is estimated to receive 201,000 passengers per day, with an expected 1.2 million passengers during the six main days of the Chuseok holiday. The busiest day is September 18 with 213,000 passengers.
According to the Korea Airport Corporation (KAC), international airports in the country will welcome 1.47 million passengers (1.12 million domestic and 350,000 international) during the holiday.
A total of 8,314 flights (6,322 domestic flights and 1,992 international flights) were scheduled to operate during the Mid-Autumn Festival, an average of 1,386 flights per day, up 2.8% over last year.
