A report by Yanolja, the RoK’s first private research institute for the travel & tourism industry, showed that outbound travel by Koreans reached a record high in the first quarter of 2026, with 8.331 million overseas trips recorded - the highest quarterly figure ever reported.

Japan was the most popular destination among Korean travelers, attracting 3.058 million. Vietnam ranked second with 1.326 million arrivals, followed by China with 811,000 travelers.

Amid rising travel costs, Korean tourists are increasingly favouring nearby destinations and showing stronger interest in more budget-conscious travel options, the report noted.

Meanwhile, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported that the number of trips made by Russian tourists to the world’s top 25 travel destinations rose by around 16% year on year in the first quarter of 2026.

Based on total outbound trips during the period, the 10 most popular destinations among Russian travelers were Thailand, China, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, the Maldives, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Among them, Vietnam stood out as one of the fastest-growing destinations, with visitor numbers in the first quarter of 2026 nearly tripling compared with the same period last year.

The sharp increase was partly attributed to a low comparison base in the first quarter of 2025, when charter flights from Russia to Vietnam only resumed in March last year. In addition, many Russian travelers reportedly shifted their travel plans to Vietnam following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in late February 2026.

Vietnam becomes key tourism market for Republic of Korea

VOV.VN - Vietnam has emerged as one of the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) most important tourism markets, with 224,000 Vietnamese visitors traveling to the RoK in the first five months of this year alone.