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Rising fuel costs likely to cause significant increase in Japanese, Chinese tourists to Korea

Published: 27 Apr. 2026, 14:51 Updated: 27 Apr. 2026, 15:01

People walk along a street in Myeongdong in Jung District, central Seoul, on April 28, 2025. [YONHAP]

TOKYO — As rising fuel costs hinder long-haul travel and lead to canceled domestic festivals, Korea is stepping into the spotlight as a convenient alternative for nearby Japan and China, both of which are approaching their respective holiday seasons.

Overseas travel is expected to increase significantly among Japanese tourists during Golden Week, which can last from Wednesday to May 10 for a maximum of 12 days, Japanese media outlets such as The Asahi Shimbun reported last week.

Golden Week is one of Japan’s major holiday periods and spans from late April to early May, when several national holidays are clustered together, including Showa Day on April 29, Constitution Memorial Day on May 3, Greenery Day on May 4 and Children’s Day on May 5. It is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year for the country.

The number of overseas travel bookings during Golden Week from last Friday through May 6 is expected to increase by 26.7 percent compared to last year, according to a report filed by HIS, a major Japanese travel agency, on April 2. The agency also picked Seoul as the No. 1 most popular destination for Japanese travelers.

“In addition to food and shopping [...] Seoul offers a wide range of experiences, from [touring] historic architecture to [indulging in] the latest cultural trends,” the travel agency stated. “It is also easy to plan for even relatively short trips, making it a highly favored destination with strong demand and interest.”

A Japanese citizen says she recently traveled to Korea in an interview with Nippon TV. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Jeju Island and Busan ranked No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, on the report.

Another major Japanese travel agency, JTB, also forecast that the number of overseas travelers between last Saturday and May 7 would reach 572,000, up 8.5 percent from the previous year. It named Korea, Taiwan and regions in Southeast Asia as popular destinations.

This trend appears to be influenced by favorable perceptions of Korea, as well as factors such as increased airfares amid tensions in the Middle East and the postponement of domestic festivals in Japan due to rising fuel costs.

“Due to concerns over surging oil prices following U.S. strikes on Iran and the weakening yen, a ‘go while we still can’ mindset is taking hold among those planning trips,” The Asahi Shimbun said.

Flights to Europe via the Middle East have been canceled through the end of May, leaving only expensive direct flights available, Nippon TV reported on Thursday. It added that this move also encouraged the Japanese to travel to nearby countries instead.

Travelers walk through Incheon International Airport on March 19. [NEWS1]

Additionally, domestic events, such as the Tarumizu Kanpachi Festival, the annual culinary and fishery festival in Kagoshima, are being postponed or canceled due to soaring fuel costs. The Tarumizu Kanpachi Festival was postponed due to difficulty in securing fuel for fishing boats.

Meanwhile, Chinese tourists are also expected to visit Korea in large numbers during their Labor Day holiday from Friday to May 5.

Korea ranked No. 1 in country-specific search interest, according to Airbnb China’s 2026 Labor Day outbound travel trends report released on April 16.

This has been partly driven by the recent rapid downturn in China-Japan relations.

About 45 percent of regular flights from China to Japan during the Labor Day holiday have been canceled, and five routes from cities such as China’s Shenyang, Tianjin and Fuzhou to Japan’s Osaka and Nagoya have been completely suspended, according to China’s state-run Global Times.

A sign for foreign tourists in Myeongdong in Jung Distrcit, central Seoul, on April 28, 2025 [YONHAP]

Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed that the number of Chinese visitors to Japan last month fell by 55.9 percent compared to the same month last year. It also marked the fourth consecutive month of decline.

In contrast, the Airbnb report noted that interest in Korea has increased fivefold compared to last year, with searches for Seoul rising more than sixfold.

As tourists from both China and Japan increasingly head to Korea, the number of foreign visitors in the first quarter of this year reached 4.76 million, the highest ever for a first quarter, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. By country, visitors from China numbered 1.448 million, up 29 percent, and those from Japan accounted for 940,000, up 20.2 percent, ranking first and second, respectively.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOU SEONG-UN [[email protected]]