Korean women travel abroad more frequently than women anywhere else in the world, according to a new survey released Tuesday.
Trip.com Group published findings from a survey of 3,500 women across seven regions—Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, Thailand, and Singapore—along with booking data analysis, marking International Women's Day. The results showed Korean women who traveled abroad at least once in 2025 had the highest travel frequency among all surveyed groups.
Osaka and Fukuoka in Japan ranked as the most popular overseas destinations for Korean female travelers last year. Tourism statistics confirm this trend. Korean visitors to Japan reached 9.459 million in 2025, surpassing 9 million for the first time. This represents a 7.3% increase from 8.817 million the previous year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Chinese cities including Shanghai and Qingdao also showed notable growth. Flight bookings and searches by Korean women rose 37% and 65% year-over-year respectively in 2025, indicating rapidly expanding overseas travel demand.
Korean immigration data shows 3.158 million Koreans visited China (including Hong Kong and Macau) in 2025, up 36.9% from the previous year. Chinese visitors to Korea also increased 18.5% to 5.787 million during the same period. Analysts attribute this growth to expanded visa-free policies between the two countries.
Solo Travel Rises Among Millennial Women
Changing travel patterns are emerging alongside growing demand for China. Agoda's analysis of January-November 2025 booking data ranked Shanghai as the fastest-growing overseas destination among Korean travelers, climbing 17 positions year-over-year. The city's popularity as a "weekend getaway" destination stems from China's visa-free policy and flight times of approximately two hours.
Solo travel trends are increasingly pronounced. Women aged 25-34 showed the largest increase in independent travel. This age group represented the highest proportion of female travelers from Korea, while Indonesia and Vietnam led the trend globally. In contrast, middle-aged and older women drove growth in Europe, with approximately 20% of solo female travelers to Italy and France aged 50 or older.
Safety ranked as the most important factor when selecting destinations. Female travelers showed preference for nearby regions offering relative safety and language accessibility, while simultaneously expressing desire to explore more distant locations for new experiences.
Women also demonstrated significant influence over family travel decisions. Female travelers frequently led planning for trips with children or parents and showed willingness to pay premium prices for family-friendly options including guaranteed family seating on flights, all-inclusive family packages, and family suites or connecting rooms.
