South Korea’s Seoul has leapfrogged Japan’s Tokyo to be named the most popular international destination of Chinese tourists during the upcoming Golden Week holiday, online travel platform Agoda says.
Indonesia’s holiday island Bali claimed the third place, followed by Thailand’s Bangkok and Japan’s Osaka, according to Agoda which made the list based on its accommodation search data.
Agoda reported a 137% year-on-year increase in international accommodation searches by Chinese tourists for the holiday from Oct. 1 to 7 that marks China’s annual National Day celebration.
Last year, Tokyo was the most popular destination of Chinese tourists during the holiday.
Thai tourism authorities have expressed concerns that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand during the Golden Week might fall short of expectations, citing the impact of a strong baht, the Bangkok Post reported.
The baht reached its highest level in 30 months as China’s economic stimulus measures boosted global risk assets, as reported by Bloomberg. The currency appreciated by as much as 0.8% against the dollar, reaching 32.56 on Wednesday, a level last seen in March 2022.
