Airline ticket sales to warm destinations pick up steam in Korea

Tourists check-in for their flights to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, at the Incheon International Airport on Oct. 7. [YONHAP]

Korean tourists are heading to warmer countries to escape the cold as international travel picks up steam.

Gmarket, an online market run by eBay Korea, said Monday that bookings of international flight tickets surged in October compared to the previous month.

For Vietnam only, flight reservations for Nha Trang rose 264 percent, Hanoi 247 percent and Ho Chi Minh 176 percent, according to the company.

Ticket reservations for Cebu in the Philippines rose 393 percent, Phuket in Thailand 131 percent and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia 291 percent.

Flights to Bali increased 120 percent and those to Guam 86 percent.

The e-commerce company said people are preferring to visit countries with warmer weather where they can relax, tour and shop.

Gmarket will hold a discount promotion for flight tickets to warm destinations from Oct. 31 to Nov. 11.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]