Chinese outbound travel demand is surging as the country's New Year and Lunar New Year holidays extend to a maximum of nine days, with travel agencies citing Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam as top value-for-money destinations while Japan has dropped off the list of popular choices.
Chinese news outlet Guangming.com reported on December 18, citing travel agency data, that flight and accommodation bookings from December through the New Year holiday have increased significantly compared to the same period last year. China has designated January 1-3 as official public holidays, and some workers are using annual leave from December 29-31 to create extended breaks of up to nine days including weekends. The Lunar New Year holiday also spans approximately nine days from February 15-23. Chinese media have described this as "an unprecedented long holiday season."
Overseas travel bookings have risen more than 30% year-on-year, concentrated in Southeast and Northeast Asian countries including Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. "These are popular destinations with affordable one-way airfares under 1,500 yuan (approximately 290,000 won)," a travel agency official said.
Korea's popularity is particularly notable. According to travel platform Qunar.com, flight bookings to Seoul surged 3.3-fold compared to the same period last year. "It's the destination showing the fastest growth recently and the most preferred country among Chinese university students during the Lunar New Year period," the travel agency said. Flight bookings to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam also increased 3.2-fold and 2.4-fold respectively, with strong preference among young travelers aged 23-30. Another travel agency ranked Egypt (3.3-fold) as the top destination, followed by Korea (2.8-fold) and Spain (2.6-fold).
Japan, however, has been excluded from the popular destination list. According to Osaka Tourism Bureau data, cancellation rates among Chinese tourists reached 50-70% at approximately 20 hotels in Osaka Prefecture through the end of December. Hokkaido has been hit hardest due to flight reductions. Statistics released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on December 17 showed that 562,600 Chinese visited Japan in November, up just 3.0% year-on-year. This represents a decrease of approximately 150,000 from the 715,700 visitors in October.
The decline is attributed to travel advisories issued by the Chinese government following remarks by Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi last month suggesting intervention in the event of a Taiwan contingency. Major Chinese airlines have extended free cancellation and rebooking policies for Japan-bound flights through March next year. According to Japanese hotel booking site Tripla, hotel bookings from China during November 21-27 fell approximately 57% compared to November 6-12, before the government's travel advisory was issued.
