Jeju, Da Nang, Bangkok top spots for Chuseok

By Kang Seung-woo

Jeju Island, Vietnam's Da Nang and Thailand's Bangkok are favorite spots for Chuseok holidaymakers, according to a global travel search engine, Thursday, amid growing public interest in both shopping and sightseeing during the annual holiday.

The finding is based on Skyscanner's analysis of searches by Koreans for travel destinations for Sept. 11 to 15. Chuseok is one of the nation's biggest traditional holidays and this year its four-day weekend starts Sept. 12.

“The three destinations allow visitors to relax in a vacation spot, and at the same time they can also shop there,” a Skyscanner official said.

People used to travel to their hometowns to spend time with their families and hold memorial services to honor their ancestors during the holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving.

However, many are gradually trending toward ducking out of, or shortening, family gatherings and other “stressful” ancestral rites, and instead opting for holiday destinations.

According to the travel search engine, the Vietnamese coastal city is the most popular destination among those who plan their trips with three or more companions, followed by Jeju and Bangkok.

Da Nang is one of the leading tourism and resort cities in Southeast Asia, so it has been a darling of Korean travelers. In addition, it is home to My Khe Beach ― one of the six most attractive beaches on the planet that offers a magnificent sunset view.

Also, the city is situated near various tourist attractions such as Hoi An, Ba Na Hill and Marble Mountains.

However, the southern resort island of Jeju was the most-searched destination among single tourists. Bangkok and Da Nang rounded out the top three.

While visitors can climb oreums, or volcanic cones, and walk on beaches, they can also sample various tasty dishes at restaurants, cafes and traditional markets. In addition, Jeju is well equipped with city tour buses and public transportation.

“It has become fashionable for more people to travel overseas during the Chuseok holiday and it would be no exception this year,” the official said.

“Given that the three cities can fill travelers' appetite for shopping and sightseeing at the same time, they are catching on as holiday destinations.”

Meanwhile, Japanese cities, which had been Korean tourists' favorite destinations, are falling out of favor due to the ongoing trade tension between Seoul and Tokyo.

According to local e-commerce firm TMON, Osaka, the most popular overseas destination during the Chuseok holiday for the past two years, yielded the top stop to Da Nang, dropping to sixth.

Even, Fukuoka, located a one-hour flight away from Incheon, failed to make the top 10.

TMON also said flights to Japan during the holiday accounted for more than 30 percent of the total last year, but this year posted 10.82 percent.

The runner-up was Taipei, followed by Bangkok and the Philippines' Cebu.