S. Koreans rushing back to their favorite offshore destination of Japan

[Source: Lotte Tour Development]

South Koreans are heading back to their favorite and closest offshore pleasure destination amid easing in virus restrictions and mutual negative sentiment over historic and trade issues with Japan for the last several years.

According to South Korean travel agency Interpark Tour, flight bookings to Japan from May 15 to 21 rose 139 percent from the previous week. By region, bookings for Narita rose 173 percent, Osaka 163 percent, Haneda 123 percent, and Fukuoka 52 percent over the same period.

The booking rate for Japan bound flight tickets started spiking as the Japanese government is said to have decided to begin to allow tourists from countries with low Covid-19 infection rates to enter the country starting next month.

Korean travel agencies expect Koreans’ trip to Japan, which used to be No. 1 travel destination among Koreans before Seoul and Tokyo were embroiled in trade rows in 2019, would recover with the anticipated border reopening after Koreans’ hostile sentiment toward Japan has somewhat eased.

Major Korean travel agencies have hurriedly packaged Japan travel packages on expectations of a pent-up demand. Hana Tour, Modu Tour, and Lotte Tour Development are operating charter flights to Hokkaido while Very Good Tour has started offering travel packages based on normalized travel conditions for the first time in three years.

Japan-bound travel bookings are expected to jump more as air routes reopen and Japan reviews visa issues.

According to the Korea Airports Corporation, the direct Gimpo-Haneda flight will be resumed from June 1. When flights are resumed, 16 planes are expected to operate on the route eight times a week.

The Gimpo-Haneda flight route was used by 2.05 million people annually before the pandemic and is significant because it connects the two countries’ capital cities.

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