3 Million Travel Overseas in Summer

The number of Koreans who sought overseas getaways during the summer vacation season exceeded three million. Those leaving the country via Incheon International Airport alone hit a record high 2.8 million in the July-August period, up 10.8 percent from the same period last year, the airport authority said Tuesday.

The total number of vacationers who traveled to other countries during the vacation season will easily exceed three million if the number of people who traveled via other airports and by ship is added.

The most popular destination was China with 898,678 visitors. Southeast Asian countries including Thailand and the Philippines had 625,251 travelers, followed by Japan with 542,437, North America with 446,990 and Europe with 172,809.

An average of 46,000 people left the country via the airport every day from July 1 to Aug. 31.

The most crowded hours at the airport with travelers were between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., around 1 p.m., and between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., an official at the airport said.


Korea Times, South Korea