South Korea Tops China’s Outbound Travel List, Dethroning Japan
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Incheon International Airport, South Korea. Photo: VCG
South Korea has overtaken Japan as the leading destination for outbound flights from the Chinese mainland, marking a significant shift in regional tourism trends shaped by political tensions and government advisories.
Between Dec. 29 and Jan. 4, South Korea ranked first among outbound destinations with 1,012 flights departing from the Chinese mainland, followed by Thailand with 862 and Japan with 736, according to data from Flight Master. Passenger data also reflected the shift. From Dec. 30 to Jan. 5, traffic between the Chinese cities and South Korea surged 30% year-on-year to 331,000, while travel to Japan fell 33% to 258,000, data from aviation consultancy CADAS showed on Tuesday.
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- South Korea became the top outbound destination from China with 1,012 flights, overtaking Japan, whose flight volume dropped to 66% of 2019 levels.
- Political tensions and Chinese travel advisories contributed to a 33% decline in travel to Japan, while South Korea-bound passenger traffic rose 30% year-on-year.
- New visa-free policies and shifting airline strategies are changing China's travel market, with Southeast Asia and long-haul routes gaining modest growth.
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Who’s Who
- Flight Master
- Flight Master is a data source cited in the article. It provides information on flight volumes. According to Flight Master data, between December 29 and January 4, South Korea was the top outbound destination from mainland China with 1,012 flights. It also reported that flight volumes to Japan dropped to 66% of 2019 levels during the first week of 2026.
- CADAS
- CADAS, an aviation consultancy, provided data showing passenger traffic between Chinese cities and South Korea surged 30% year-on-year to 331,000 between December 30 and January 5. Conversely, travel to Japan during the same period fell 33% to 258,000, illustrating a significant shift in outbound travel trends from China.
- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s travel platform, Fliggy, provided data indicating that 60% of travel demand diverted from Japan has shifted to domestic destinations. The remaining 40% was redistributed among international markets, with South Korea benefiting the most from this shift.
- Fliggy
- Fliggy, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s travel platform, provided data indicating that when demand for Japanese travel declined, 60% shifted to domestic destinations. The remaining 40% was redistributed internationally, with South Korea being the primary beneficiary of this shift.
- Qunar
- During the New Year holiday period, travel platform Qunar reported significant increases in bookings for South Korean cities. Specifically, bookings for Busan jumped by 400%, and for Seoul, they increased by 290%. This indicates Qunar is a travel platform used for booking trips to international destinations.
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What Happened When
- December 2025：
- Russia rolled out a visa-free travel policy for Chinese passport holders.
- As of November 2025：
- Flights to Japan had recovered to 82% of 2019 levels, according to a Fitch Ratings report in December 2025.
- Mid-November 2025：
- Chinese airlines began offering free refunds and flight changes on Japan-bound routes.
- Between Dec. 29, 2025 and Jan. 4, 2026：
- South Korea ranked first among outbound destinations from the Chinese mainland with 1,012 flights, surpassing Japan.
- From Dec. 30, 2025 to Jan. 5, 2026：
- Traffic between Chinese cities and South Korea surged 30% year-on-year to 331,000, while travel to Japan fell 33% to 258,000.
- Late December 2025 to early January 2026：
- Bookings for Busan and Seoul jumped 400% and 290% respectively during the New Year holiday period.
- Jan. 2, 2026：
- Turkey began granting visa-free entry to Chinese passport holders.
- First week of 2026：
- Flight volumes to Japan dropped to 66% of 2019 levels.
- Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026：
- CADAS reported passenger data reflecting the shift in travel trends.
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