Korean travelers favor nearby Asia as Europe, North America lose ground

Korean travelers are shifting toward nearby Asian destinations as Europe and North America lose share, according to BC Card data released Monday. Asia accounted for 74.3 percent of overseas travel spending in the first half of this year, up from 60.4 percent in the same period of 2024. BC Card linked Europe’s decline to slower recovery in long-distance travel demand and higher airfares, and said a weaker won against the U.S. dollar made North America less attractive. Japan led destination choices, while China ranked second.

Japan accounted for 38.7 percent of overseas travelers, followed by China at 11.2 percent, Vietnam at 11 percent and the United States at 10.5 percent.

Compared with 2024, Japan’s share of travelers rose 8.9 percentage points and China’s rose 5.8 points, while the U.S. share fell 4.8 points.

Shopping represented 66.3 percent of overseas card transactions in China and 65.9 percent in Japan; food and drinks accounted for 34.8 percent in the United States, the highest share among the listed destinations.

Men in their 30s were 1.4 times as likely as the average customer to travel overseas, while women in their 20s were 1.3 times as likely.

Customers earning at least 100 million won a year were 2.2 times as likely as the average customer to travel overseas and spent an average of 1.28 million won abroad.

Published Nov 2, 2026 2:09 pm KST

A check-in area at Incheon International Airport is crowded with travelers, Friday. Yonhap

Lee Ji-yeon, an office worker in her 30s, traveled solo to Japan's Kyoto in early October. She had considered destinations such as Canada and Australia, but ultimately opted for a shorter trip closer to home.

"It was difficult for me to take a long day off work, and considering the cost of airfare, I thought it would make more sense to take a short trip to a nearby country," she said.

A Seoul resident in her 60s surnamed Park is planning a trip to Hong Kong with friends in December.

"Long-distance travel has become physically demanding for me, so I ruled out destinations in Europe and North America. Traveling to other Asian countries is more convenient," Park said.

Their choices reflect a broader shift in Koreans' overseas travel habits.

Japan and China are attracting a growing share of Korean travelers, while Europe and North America are losing ground, according to data released Monday.

An analysis by BC Card of Koreans' overseas travel spending found that Asia accounted for 74.3 percent of their overseas travel spending in the first half of this year, from 60.4 percent in the same period of 2024.

Europe's share fell 6.7 percentage points to 12.3 percent, while North America's dropped 5.9 percentage points to 8.2 percent.

BC Card attributed Europe's decline to a slower recovery in demand for long-distance travel, as well as higher airfares. The weakening won against the U.S. dollar has also made trips to North America less attractive for Korean travelers, it noted.

By countries, Japan was the most popular destination, accounting for 38.7 percent of overseas travelers. China followed at 11.2 percent, just ahead of Vietnam at 11 percent. The United States came fourth at 10.5 percent.

The share of travelers visiting Japan rose 8.9 percentage points from 2024, while China's increased 5.8 percentage points. The U.S. share, in contrast, fell 4.8 percentage points.

The destinations also reflect different spending habits.

Shopping made up 66.3 percent of overseas card transactions in China and 65.9 percent in Japan, with Taiwan close behind at 56.4 percent.

Travelers to the U.S., Australia and Thailand were more likely to spend on food and drinks, which accounted for 34.8 percent, 33.5 percent and 32.7 percent of overseas transactions, respectively. Accommodation took up a relatively larger share of spending in Vietnam, at 7.8 percent, and Thailand at 4.9 percent.

Men in their 30s were the most likely to travel overseas, at 1.4 times the average, followed by women in their 20s at 1.3 times.

Residents of the Seoul metropolitan area were also more likely to travel abroad than those elsewhere.

The gap was even wider among higher-income and higher-spending customers. Those earning at least 100 million won ($74,300) a year were 2.2 times more likely to travel overseas than the average customer, spending an average of 1.28 million won abroad.

根据韩国信用卡公司BC Card周一发布的数据，随着欧洲和北美市场份额的下降，韩国游客正将目光转向邻近的亚洲目的地。今年上半年，亚洲占韩国海外旅游支出的74.3%，高于2024年同期的60.4%。BC Card将欧洲市场份额的下降归因于长途旅行需求复苏放缓和机票价格上涨，并指出韩元对美元走软降低了北美的吸引力。日本位居榜首，中国位列第二。

日本占海外游客总数的 38.7%，其次是中国（11.2%）、越南（11%）和美国（10.5%）。

与 2024 年相比，日本游客份额上升了 8.9 个百分点，中国游客份额上升了 5.8 个百分点，而美国游客份额下降了 4.8 个百分点。

在中国，购物占境外刷卡交易的 66.3%；在日本，这一比例为 65.9%；在美国，食品和饮料占 34.8%，是所列目的地中占比最高的。

30 多岁的男性出国旅行的可能性是普通顾客的 1.4 倍，而 20 多岁的女性出国旅行的可能性是普通顾客的 1.3 倍。

年收入至少达到 1 亿韩元的顾客出国旅行的可能性是普通顾客的 2.2 倍，平均在国外消费 128 万韩元。

发布于2026年11月2日下午2:09（韩国标准时间）

周五，仁川国际机场值机区挤满了旅客。（韩联社）

30多岁的上班族李智妍（Lee Ji-yeon）10月初独自前往日本京都旅行。她曾考虑过加拿大和澳大利亚等目的地，但最终选择了离家更近的短途旅行。

她说：“我很难请一整天的假，而且考虑到机票价格，我觉得去附近的国家短途旅行更有意义。”

一位居住在首尔、姓朴的六十多岁女性计划在十二月与朋友一起去香港旅行。

“长途旅行对我来说体力消耗很大，所以我排除了欧洲和北美的目的地。去其他亚洲国家旅行更方便，”朴女士说。

他们的选择反映了韩国人海外旅游习惯的更广泛转变。

周一公布的数据显示，日本和中国正在吸引越来越多的韩国游客，而欧洲和北美则正在失去市场份额。

BC Card 对韩国人海外旅游支出的分析发现，今年上半年亚洲占韩国人海外旅游支出的 74.3%，而 2024 年同期这一比例为 60.4%。

欧洲的份额下降了 6.7 个百分点，至 12.3%，而北美的份额下降了 5.9 个百分点，至 8.2%。

BC信用卡公司将欧洲市场的下滑归因于长途旅行需求复苏缓慢以及机票价格上涨。该公司还指出，韩元兑美元汇率走弱也降低了韩国游客前往北美旅游的吸引力。

按国家/地区划分，日本是最受欢迎的目的地，占海外游客总数的38.7%。中国紧随其后，占比11.2%，越南以11%位居第三。美国排名第四，占比10.5%。

预计到2024年，赴日游客份额将上升8.9个百分点，赴华游客份额将上升5.8个百分点。相比之下，赴美游客份额则下降了4.8个百分点。

这些目的地也反映了不同的消费习惯。

在中国，购物占境外刷卡交易的 66.3%，在日本则为 65.9%，台湾紧随其后，占比 56.4%。

前往美国、澳大利亚和泰国的游客更倾向于在餐饮上消费，分别占境外消费总额的34.8%、33.5%和32.7%。住宿在越南的消费占比相对较高，为7.8%，在泰国则为4.9%。

30 多岁的男性出国旅行的可能性最大，是平均水平的 1.4 倍，其次是 20 多岁的女性，是平均水平的 1.3 倍。

首尔都市圈的居民也比其他地区的居民更有可能出国旅行。

在高收入和高消费人群中，这种差距甚至更大。年收入至少达到1亿韩元（约合7.43万美元）的人群出国旅行的可能性是普通消费者的2.2倍，平均在海外消费128万韩元。