(Yicai) Sept. 18 -- South Korea’s new visa-free policy for Chinese tour groups is fueling a rebound in travel interest ahead of China’s upcoming National Day holiday.

Hwang Sung Won, head of the passenger network at Korean Air, told Yicai that since the policy was announced, the airline’s load factor on China-Korea routes has increased by about 10 percentage points from a year earlier. He predicted an even stronger impact on passenger growth next year.

Flight capacity on the flag carrier's China routes has recovered to about 86 percent of pre-pandemic levels, while routes to other regions have mostly returned to normal, Hwang added.

Starting Sept. 29, South Korea will trial a visa-free entry policy allowing Chinese group tourists to stay for up to 15 days, the government announced recently.

According to Tongcheng Travel, as of Sept. 11, international flight searches during China’s National Day holiday period (Oct. 1 to 8) had surged by more than 60 percent year-on-year. Among these, searches for South Korean destinations such as Seoul and Jeju Island more than doubled. This year, the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays coincide, forming an eight-day break.

The Korea Tourism Organization said South Korea received nearly 16.4 million international visitors last year, with Chinese tourists accounting for over 28 percent, the largest share. About 4.6 million Chinese travelers visited South Korea in 2024, double the figure from 2023 but still under 80 percent of the pre-pandemic 2019 level.

In the first half of this year, about 7.8 million passengers traveled between China and South Korea, up 24 percent from a year earlier, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. However, that figure remains around 80 percent of the 2019 level.

The impact of visa-free policies has been visible in both directions. On Nov. 8, 2024, China implemented a visa-free entry policy for South Korean travelers. This was followed by a significant rise in South Korean tourists visiting China, particularly to cities like Qingdao, Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, which are known for their mild winters and geographic proximity.

Editor: Emmi Laine