The number of South Koreans going overseas for vacation jumped more than 40 percent on-year in July as more people flock to foreign destinations despite a prolonged slump in domestic demand, industry data showed Tuesday.

Hana Tour Co., the nation's leading tour agency, said the number of its clients going abroad came to 289,000 last month, up 43.3 percent from the same month last year.

China was the destination that saw the biggest on-year jump with 92.3 percent, followed by Japan with 48.3 percent and Southeast Asia with 40.2 percent.

Hana Tour said more people opting to avoid the end of July or early August for their holidays boosted overseas travel.

Mode Tour Network Inc., the No. 2 tour operator, said 152,000 bought its international travel products last month, up 33 percent from a year ago.

Travelers to North America logged the biggest on-year jump with 72.3 percent, trailed by China with 46.6 percent and Japan with 43.6 percent, Mode Tour said.

The outbound travel market has enjoyed a boom in recent years as more Koreans traveled abroad to take advantage of extended holidays and cheaper tickets offered by low-cost carriers. (Yonhap)