South Korea has overtaken Japan as the leading destination for outbound flights from the Chinese mainland, reports Caixin. This marks a significant shift in regional tourism trends shaped by political tensions and government advisories.
Between December 29 and January 4, South Korea ranked first among outbound destinations with 1,012 flights departing from the Chinese mainland, followed by Thailand with 862 and Japan with 736, according to data from Flight Master. Passenger data also reflected the shift. From December 30 to January 5, traffic between the Chinese cities and South Korea surged 30% year-on-year to 331,000, while travel to Japan fell 33% to 258,000, data from aviation consultancy CADAS showed on Tuesday.
The sharp turnaround follows travel warnings issued by Chinese authorities amid deteriorating diplomatic ties between Beijing and Tokyo. In response, Chinese airlines began offering free refunds and flight changes on Japan-bound routes in mid-November, later extending those waivers through the end of March. Industry analysts expect the trend to persist through the upcoming Spring Festival travel season, which begins in mid-February.