PHÚ QUỐC  Phú Quốc has become a newly favoured destination for South Korean tourists.

Although the Lunar New Year holiday in South Korea is shorter this year, demand for overseas travel has increased by about 50 per cent.

With the introduction of new flight routes by Vietnamese airlines, emerging tourist destinations such as Phú Quốc in Việt Nam and Siem Reap in Cambodia are gaining popularity as a new trend.

According to tourism industry data released on January 17, major South Korean travel companies, including Hana Tour, Very Good Travel, and Kyowon Tour Travel Easy, have examined bookings for overseas travel based on departure dates during the coming Lunar New Year holiday.

They observed that despite the shorter holiday this year, the demand for overseas travel remains higher compared to the previous Lunar New Year holiday.

The number of bookings has increased by approximately 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.

With three weeks left until the Lunar New Year -- The Year of the Tiger which begins on February 10 this year -- it is expected that the number of bookings will continue to rise significantly.

The volume of overseas travel bookings by Hana Tour during the holiday has increased by 48 per cent compared to the previous year.

By region, the highest growth rate is 57 per cent in Southeast Asia, 25 per cent in Japan, 6 per cent in Europe, 6 per cent in the South Pacific, and 5 per cent in China. This suggests that most customers prioritise regions with shorter distances.

Demand for travel to Việt Nam and Japan accounts for more than half of the bookings, with 27 per cent to Việt Nam and 25 per cent to Japan.

Kyowon Tour Travel Easy analysed data on travel bookings during this year's Lunar New Year holiday and found that Japan has the highest proportion of bookings at 20.8 per cent.

This is the first time the booking rate for a country has exceeded 20 per cent since the outbreak of the pandemic. Following Japan, Việt Nam is in second place with 11.7 per cent.

A leader of the Travel Easy company stated that travellers still show a preference for Japan during the New Year season, especially with new travel products to Hokkaido accounting for a high proportion of 40 per cent of total bookings in Japan.

Very Good Travel also witnessed a 3 per cent increase in total overseas travel bookings during the Lunar New Year holiday, particularly between February 9 and 12.

Among all overseas travel bookings, Southeast Asia accounts for the highest percentage at 37.2 per cent, followed by Japan at 29.1 per cent, Europe at 11.2 per cent, the South Pacific at 8.1 per cent, and China at 6.4 per cent.

According to the company's data analysis, popular new travel destinations include Siem Reap in Cambodia, Phú Quốc in Việt Nam, Taichung in Chinese Taipei, and Matsuyama in Japan.

Direct flights between Siem Reap and Taichung have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but new travel demand is emerging as travel companies operate charter flights.

As demand for Phú Quốc increases, it is also emerging as a new tourist destination, especially since Korean Air recently organised new flight routes.

"Phú Quốc is a recent tourist destination promoted by the Việt Nam Tourism Board, and many travellers who previously visited Nha Trang and Đà Nẵng are now choosing it as Việt Nam’s new tourist destination. There are many high-end resorts here, so the demand for family travel is increasing rapidly," an industry official said.  VNS