Vietnam is the second favorite destination of Korean tourists, China falls out of the top 5

According to statistics from the country's immigration agency, about 2.56 million South Koreans flew to Vietnam from January to September this year, an increase of 389.7% over the same period last year when Covid-19 still restricted travel.

About 4.8 million South Koreans visited Japan during this period. Thailand ranked third with 1.08 million, followed by the Philippines (1,086,291) and the United States (800,399).

The list is compiled based on the number of flight days.

Several Korean airlines have recently increased direct flights to Vietnam's tourist hubs.

Jeju Air, the largest low-cost carrier, will launch a new direct flight from Seoul to the Central Highlands resort city of Da Lat on December 20 and a daily Seoul-Phu Quoc route this month.

Korean Air and Jin Air are also preparing to fly on the second route from late November.

Eastar Jet Airlines last month restarted direct flights between Seoul and Cam Ranh, a popular resort town near Nha Trang, after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Since Vietnam reopened its borders to foreign tourists last March, South Korea has become the country's largest source of tourists.

The central coastal city of Da Nang continues to be the most attractive destination for Korean tourists.

The country with the largest decrease in the number of Korean tourists compared to the pre-Covid-19 pandemic period is China. Previously, China was ranked among the most popular countries for Korean tourists, but this year it dropped out of the top 5. The number of tourists to and from China reached over 3.4 million in 2019, but the recovery has not been significant so far.