World's 'most favorite country' is South Korean tourists' top choice for Chuseok holiday

By Hoang Vu October 7, 2025 | 04:09 pm PT

People walk along Takeshita street at Harajuku shopping area in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 10, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Japan, voted "world's most favorite destination" last year by Condé Nast Traveler readers, was the most popular overseas travel destination for South Koreans during this year's Mid-Autumn holiday, known as Chuseok, according to travel platforms.

Other top destinations included Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, according to the 2025 Chuseok Holiday Overseas Travel Trends report released by travel booking platform Klook.

According to digital travel platform Agoda, searches by Koreans for domestic and international trips during Chuseok have risen by 29% and 19%, respectively, compared to last year.

Based on lodging data from May to August for Korean users, three of the top five international destinations are in Japan.

Tokyo ranked No. 1, followed by Fukuoka and Osaka. Bali and Da Nang round out the top five.

For domestic travel, Jeju Island ranked No. 1 in search volume, followed by Busan, Seoul, Gyeongju and Sokcho.

Chuseok, which peaked on Oct. 6 this year, is the Korean autumn harvest festival marked by family reunions and ancestral rites. This year's holiday lasts for 10 days.

Japan welcomed 3.4 million foreign visitors in August, up 16.9% year-on-year, driven by additional flights from across Asia.

China led with 1 million visitors, up 36.5%, followed by South Korea with 660,900, up 8%, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.