The Sino-Korean tourism market may be experiencing a breakthrough, as the latest data fromSouth Koreashows a staggering 900% year-on-year increase in the number ofSouth Korean tourists visiting China in January 2024. During the Chinese New Year holiday this year,South Koreaentered China's top ten tourist source countries.

It is reported that over 140,000South Koreans traveled to China in January 2024, marking a remarkable 908% year-on-year increase. It is noteworthy that due to various factors such as pandemic control measures and previous allegations of discriminatory entry restrictions against China bySouth Korea, the mutual visits between the two countries had once reached a low point.

According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization(KTO), as of October 2023, the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Koreawas only around 1.52 million, recovering to approximately 30% compared to the same period in 2019 when it was 5 million.

Now, the sudden surge of 900% in the number ofSouth Korean tourists visiting China seems to signal a potential recovery.

China has long been a highly-favored destination forSouth Korean tourists. According to previous reports from Yonhap News Agency, surveys showed that China was among the top four preferred tourist destinations forSouth Korean travelers. Therefore, during the Chinese New Year holiday this year,South Koreaentered the top ten source countries for inbound travelers. Furthermore, according to data from the online travel services provider Trip.com, during the Chinese New Year holiday, inbound travel orders fromSouth Korean tourists ranked third.

Particularly, Zhangjiajie in China holds a special place in the hearts ofSouth Korean tourists. Official statistics reveal that Zhangjiajie received a total of 289,700 inbound tourists in the first eight months of 2023, withSouth Korean tourists contributing one-third of the total.

The scenic beauty of Zhangjiajie has frequently appeared inSouth Korean films and television series, enhancing its popularity inSouth Korea. Additionally, Zhangjiajie holds a significant position in the minds of elderlySouth Koreans and is often considered a place one must visit in their lifetime. There is even a saying in South Korea, "Be filial to your parents, send them to travel to Zhangjiajie".

This trend is also related to the state of flight resumption between China and South Korea. As of November 2023, the number of round-trip flights between China and South Korea reached 782, recovering to 68.7% of the same period in 2019. Compared to other major Asian destinations like Japan (42.7%) and Thailand (42.0%), South Korea's flight resumption situation is relatively better.

Source:Yangcheng Evening News

赴华韩国游客数量暴增900%

中韩旅游市场或许正在迎来新的破冰契机——韩国最新数据显示，今年1月赴华的韩国游客数量同比暴增900%。今年春节假期，入境旅游客源国中，韩国跻身前十。

据悉，上个月前往中国的韩国民众超过14万人次，同比暴增908%。要知道，由于疫情管制措施、此前韩国涉嫌实施对华歧视性入境限制等多方面因素影响，双方游客互访数量一度处于低谷。

根据韩国旅游发展局的数据，截至2023年10月，赴韩旅游的中国游客仅为152万人次，而与2019年同期的500万人次相比仅恢复到30%左右。

如今，“赴华韩国游客数量暴增900%”仿佛让更多人看到了回暖的机会。

对于中国，韩国游客一直青睐有加。此前据韩联社报道，调查显示，中国是韩国游客首选的旅游地前四名。所以，今年春节假期，入境旅游客源国中，韩国跻身前十。甚至在携程平台数据显示，春节假期期间入境游订单中，来自韩国游客的订单排名第三位。

特别是中国的张家界，在韩国游客心中更是有特殊地位。据官方统计数据，2023年前8个月，张家界全市共接待入境游客28.97万人次，韩国游客贡献其中的三分之一。

张家界的景色频繁地出现在韩国的影视作品中，这也提高了张家界在韩国的知名度，受到热情追捧。张家界在韩国老人心目中占据比较高的位置，被看作是“一生必须要去一次”的地方。韩国甚至有这样一句话，“孝顺父母，就送他们去张家界旅游”。

此外，这也与中韩两国之间的航班恢复状况有关。截至2023年11月，中韩往返航班为782架次，恢复到2019年同期的68.7%，相比于其他亚洲主要目的地国家，例如日本的42.7%、泰国的42.0%等，韩国的航班恢复情况要更好一些。

文｜记者 冷爽
翻译｜赵凡