Temporary holiday spurs overseas travel bookings

Passengers wait for check-in at Incheon International Airport on Monday. [NEWS1]

With less than a month to go until the extended Chuseok harvest holiday, many Koreans are already planning to travel overseas with the designated temporary holiday.

The move could dampen the government's push to bolster domestic consumption during the period.

Chuseok, one of the two biggest holidays in Korea, is traditionally a cherished time for family reunions at ancestral homes but there has been a gradual shift towards travel experiences. This year, Chuseok is from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, while the National Foundation Day falls on Oct. 3, and an additional temporary public holiday on Oct. 2 sets the stage for a six-day "golden holiday" period.

Sienna Lee, a 26-year-old office worker, embraced the opportunity for an extended break and is opting for a family trip to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, from Seoul.

"Usually, when the holidays were brief, my family and I mostly explored destinations within the country," Lee said. "However, with this extended holiday period, we thought, 'Why not venture somewhere farther away?' Since everyone has work commitments and arranging family trips abroad isn't easy, now seems like the perfect time to embark on a long-distance journey."

Travel industry reports indicate a surge in bookings for organized tours following the government's initial mention of a potential temporary public holiday earlier this week.

Very Good Tour reported a 99 percent spike in bookings for Chuseok departure travel packages compared to the prior week. Likewise, ModeTour disclosed a 25 percent boost in reservation rates.

By taking three days off from their annual leave, the golden holiday period stretches until Hangul Day on Oct. 9 for a 12-day break. This has contributed to an increase in the number of individuals opting for longer-haul journeys that come with substantial flight times.

Analytics on Chuseok holiday reservations from Hana Tour agency reveal a 43.2 percent demand for overseas travel bound for Southeast Asia, while Europe accounts for 12.2 percent of the interest.

"This shift marks a notable uptick in travel interest for Europe compared to the summer season, which stood at 9.3 percent," a Hana Tour spokesperson said.

Korea's largest low-cost carrier, Jeju Air, noted elevated reservation rates for longer flights, particularly those bound for Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Routes such as Incheon to Philippines Cebu and Bohol, as well as Incheon to Guam and Saipan, saw reservation rates hitting the mid-90s percentile. During the previous year's Chuseok holiday, the Incheon to Philippines Cebu and Bohol route recorded a 60 percent boarding rate.

Air Premia, another budget-friendly airline, reported robust reservation rates of around mid-80 percent for its Frankfurt route and late-70 percent for its routes to Los Angeles and New York. This marked an uptick of about 5 percent compared to regular booking rates.

Despite the government's intentions to boost domestic consumption through the extended Chuseok holiday, concerns remain that the surge in overseas travel could potentially detract from local travel interests.

Analysis from the Hyundai Research Institute published in March suggests designating a substitute public holiday could result in a rise of 2.4 trillion won ($1.81 billion) in consumer spending, consequently generating a total production value of 4.8 trillion won.

To raise domestic spending during the extended holiday period, the government announced a range of measures on Thursday including toll exemptions on highways and the issuance of 600,000 lodging coupons in Korea.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]