Seoul Tops Foreign Visitor List for Chuseok, Busan 2nd

As of September 24, 2026, Seoul was the most-booked South Korean city among foreign travelers on Trip.com during this Chuseok holiday, with Busan finishing a close second. Despite a shorter break this year, demand from neighboring countries surged as Japan's Silver Week and holidays across Greater China overlapped with the Korean holiday.

No. 1 Seoul, No. 2 BusanTrip.com's ranking of most-booked domestic cities among foreign travelers

Up about 57%Year-over-year rise in Korea-bound flight bookings during Japan's Silver Week

Up about 121%Year-over-year rise in Busan-bound flight bookings over the same period

Up about 91%Year-over-year rise in Seoul-bound flight bookings during China's National Day holiday

Key points

Trip.com booking data ranked Seoul the top domestic city for foreign travelers this Chuseok, with Busan finishing second.
For outbound Korean travelers, Japanese cities — Osaka, Fukuoka and Tokyo — dominated the top spots.
During Japan's Silver Week, flight bookings to Busan rose far more sharply than bookings to Seoul.
During China's National Day holiday, Seoul ranked as the single most-booked destination worldwide.

Even with a shorter Chuseok holiday this year, travel patterns — both domestic and outbound — are branching out rather than narrowing. An analysis of booking data by travel platform Trip.com Group found travelers gravitating toward short-haul international trips and charming small-town getaways alike.

Among South Koreans heading abroad, Japanese cities topped the list, with destinations in Southeast Asia and China rounding out the top tier. Notably, more travelers departed the day before the official holiday began than on the first day of the break itself — a sign of people stretching their time off as far as it would go.

Domestically, beach towns and islands remained popular, but bookings for lesser-known small cities jumped noticeably compared with last year. Regions leaning into quiet scenery and local flavor appear to be reshaping travel patterns that have long centered on major cities.

Foreign travelers flocked to South Korea during the same window. In Trip.com's rankings of most-booked domestic cities, the greater Seoul area came out on top, with Busan trailing closely behind and Jeju, Incheon and Gyeongju also cracking the top tier. Most visitors came from neighboring China, Japan and Taiwan, but travelers from farther afield — including Australia and the U.K. — made up a large enough share to place among the top countries of origin.

The overlap between Japan's Silver Week, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays in Greater China, and Korea's own Chuseok break helped drive the surge in inbound travel. During Japan's holiday window, demand for flights to Busan climbed far more sharply than demand for Seoul; during China's National Day holiday, Seoul emerged as the single most-booked destination in the world — showing how different cities drew different crowds depending on the calendar.

In Korea right nowIn South Korea, the twin trends — more domestic trips to small towns and a fresh wave of inbound tourists — are both getting attention. Industry watchers see it as a welcome sign that foreign visitor demand, once concentrated in the big cities, is spreading to the regions, even as the calendar overlap with neighboring countries' holidays adds extra lift.