Japan Tourism Marketing & Consulting recently conducted a survey on South Korean travelers visiting Japan, targeting South Korean men and women above 18 y.o. who traveled to Japan during the last three years.
83.8% of the survey targets had already visited Japan. Their most recent destinations were predominantly Japan (28.1%), followed by Europe (9.5%) and Hong Kong/Macao (8.4%). 61.5% of the travelers to Japan were FIT, much more than for the entire overseas travel market (53.1%).
Regarding the airlines used to travel to Japan: Full Service Carriers and Low Cost Carriers equally shared the market (49.2% versus 46.7%). However, the ratio of LCC reaches 53.3% in the case of FIT, a much higher ratio than for the entire overseas travel market (35.8%).
The survey also reveals that 68.7% of South Korean travelers to Japan book on Internet, a much higher ratio than for the entire overseas travel market (63.3%).
The graphs below detail traveling styles (left) and booking places (right):
The ratio of South Korean travelers who visited three or more cities in Japan during their last trip to the country was 73.8%. The survey also reveals that experienced South Korean travelers visiting Japan tend to visit at least three cities, travel in wide areas, and use different airports for arrival and departure.
Interestingly, the ratio of South Korean travelers intending to visit rural areas rather than urban areas was 52.2%, much higher than the 27.9% for the entire overseas travel market. Besides, more than half of the travelers between 18 y.o. and 29 y.o. preferred to visit urban areas whereas older South Korean travelers tended to prefer to visit the countryside.
The graphs below show data related to the number of cities visited (top left), to the use of different airports for arrival and departure (top right), and to the reasons for choosing Japan as travel destination (bottom):
The top reasons for choosing Japan as a travel destination were food (38.9%) then personal interests or particular hobbies (31.2%). The most desired experiences in Japan were onsen hot springs (61.3%) then casual food such as ramen noodles (40.8%). Besides, the survey shows that South Korean travelers want to experience the everyday life of Japanese people (48.6%).
The graphs below illustrate the desire to visit the countryside (top) and to experience various things in Japan (bottom) by age and gender:
Based on this survey, Japan Tourism Marketing & Consulting points out that Japan is a casual destination for South Korean travelers to discover everyday lifestyles in Japan and to travel.
The graph below shows what travelers from South Korea want to do at night, by age and gender:
Finally, the ratio of ‘I visited places that I found on SNS’ was 36.7%, and the ratio of "I researched a destination carefully in advance" was 57%. Japan Tourism Marketing & Consulting accordingly recommends the use of effective digital marketing tools to create trends and buzz in Japan as quickly as possible.
