Demand for long-term, high-end travel has risen ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, data showed Wednesday.
According to travel agency Trip.com, about 65 percent of Koreans plan to travel for extended periods during the holiday that runs from Sunday through Feb. 18. Among all reservations, trips lasting four to seven days accounted for 43 percent, while those lasting eight to 14 days made up 22 percent.
Destinations have also become more diverse. While nearby countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam ranked among the top destinations, long-haul locations including the United States, Spain and Australia also gained in popularity.
Travelers opting for premium flights and accommodations increased.
Reservations for first-class flights rose 83 percent from a year earlier, while business-class bookings increased 38 percent. Bookings at five-star hotels climbed 59 percent on-year. In destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, five-star hotels accounted for more than half of all reservations. When four-star hotels were included, the share rose to nearly 75 percent.
Demand for travel to South Korea during the holiday period also increased.
According to the travel site, reservations for trips to Korea during the Lunar New Year holiday rose 88 percent compared with the same period last year. Travelers came not only from other Asian countries such as Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, but also from Australia and the United States.
By point of departure, travelers from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, recorded the highest number of bookings. Travelers from Japan expanded beyond Tokyo and Osaka to include Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa. Bookings from Poland, Canada and Uzbekistan were also notable.
shinjh@heraldcorp.com
