December 20, 2025 | 07:59 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Diplomatic tensions between China and Japan have brought about a significant shift in the travel patterns of tourists. South Korea has emerged as a primary alternative destination, offering more affordable and secure options for Chinese tourists, while Japan has experienced a sharp decline in the number of visitors from its neighboring country.
The conflict was sparked by a statement made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, implying the possibility of Japanese military intervention in the Taiwan Strait. In response, Beijing issued travel warnings advising its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Subramania Bhatt, CEO of China Trading Desk, a marketing and travel technology company, stated that the weakened won has made South Korea a "better-value destination" for Chinese tourists while Japan has become "politically expensive," as reported by The Korea Times on Friday, December 19, 2025.
According to the Chinese travel platform Qunar, South Korea has overtaken Japan as the most popular international flight destination for Chinese citizens during the weekend of November 15-16, 2025, just after Beijing issued the travel warnings. Hundreds of thousands of plane tickets to Japan were canceled.
Impact on Tourist Visits
As reported by Nikkei Asia on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the Japan National Tourism Organization reported 562,600 Chinese visitors, only increasing by 3 percent y-o-y. This figure is much lower compared to the cumulative growth of 40.7 percent during January to October.
Although the total arrivals of foreign tourists in Japan increased by 10.4 percent to 3.52 million people in November and exceeded 39 million visits in the first 11 months of 2025, surpassing the previous annual record of 36.87 million, the growth from China clearly slowed dramatically.
Several major travel agents in China suspended the sale of tour packages to Japan, while airlines offered free ticket cancellations. This has led to a reduction and suspension of several flights between the two countries.
The shift in travel patterns has also opened up opportunities for other countries in East Asia and several Southeast Asian countries, which have also experienced a surge in Chinese tourist visits. However, South Korea remains the most prominent due to the combination of favorable economic factors and improved diplomatic relations.
Data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows that during the first 10 months of 2025, a total of 4.7 million Chinese tourists visited South Korea, exceeding the total visits for the previous year.
This positive trend is further strengthened by the improved bilateral relations between Beijing and Seoul, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea in October 2025 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. With the current conditions, South Korea is projected to remain an affordable and primary tourist destination for Chinese tourists until the end of 2025.
Read: Japan Raises Its UN Presence to Counter China's Influence
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