Home > National > Diplomacy

Korea the top overseas destination for Chinese travelers during holiday, Beijing signals hope for more exchanges

Published: 02 Feb. 2026, 20:35

The Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 is filled with travelers on Dec. 23, 2025. [YONHAP]

Korea has emerged as the top overseas travel destination for Chinese travelers as China’s Lunar New Year holiday approaches, with Beijing expressing hope for expanded people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Between 230,000 and 250,000 Chinese tourists will visit Korea during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday beginning Feb. 15, according to data by research firm China Trading Desk. That represents a 52 percent increase from last year.

“Continuously enhancing the convenience of personnel exchanges between China and South Korea is beneficial for increasing mutual understanding and interaction between the peoples of the two countries," Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, commented on Monday.

"China also welcomes South Korean friends to come to China to celebrate the Spring Festival," added Lin.

The surge in Chinese visitors is attributed to a combination of factors, including the temporary visa-free entry policy for Chinese group tourists and the continued influence of Hallyu culture, which has driven rapid growth in demand for travel to Korea.

By contrast, Japan, once a popular destination for Chinese tourists, is expected to see a sharp decline in visitors after Chinese authorities advised against travel following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting intervention “in the event of a Taiwan contingency.”

Amid what has been described as a “Korea travel boom” during a period of strained China-Japan relations, visa applications to Korea have also risen sharply.

A total of 330,613 visa applications were filed at the embassy in Beijing and other Korean diplomatic missions in China over the three months from November last year to January this year, marking a 34 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, according to the Chinese embassy in Korea. Of those, 283,211 were travel visas, up 45 percent on the year.

Tourists fill the Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Jan. 5. [YONHAP]

During the same period a year earlier, total visa applications stood at 246,647, with 195,196 travel visas. While applications were somewhat depressed at the time due to factors such as the impact of martial law declared in late 2024, the recent increase is still seen as exceeding typical levels even after accounting for those circumstances. From November 2023 to January 2024, total visa applications numbered 277,321, and travel visas totaled 200,636, roughly 50,000 to 80,000 fewer than in the most recent three-month period.

Demand for visits to Korea is estimated to have accelerated further after Korea began temporarily allowing visa-free entry and stays of up to 15 days for Chinese group tourists of three or more people starting in late September 2025.

The number of Chinese visitors to Korea rose from 2.2 million in 2023 to 4.9 million in 2024, an increase of 120 percent, and climbed again last year to 5.8 million, up 18.5 percent from the previous year.

“Visa applications by Chinese nationals have increased beyond normal levels, reaching more than 1,000 applications per day on average at the Beijing mission alone since mid-December last year,” said an official at the Chinese embassy in Korea.

"When taking into account people who already hold multiple-entry visas and travel freely, it is clear that the number of Chinese visitors heading to Korea has increased significantly compared to the past, regardless of the form of travel. We have been working an additional one to two hours per day since mid-December to prevent backlogs."

While the number of flights between China and Korea remains about 1,000 per week on a one-way basis, similar to previous years, the average seat occupancy rate reached 85.2 percent in December last year, the highest level recorded this year.

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 HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]