Value for money spurring Korean travelers to be most common visitors to Osaka, Da Nang and Cebu

People take photographs in front of the Dotonbori Glico Sign in Osaka on Dec. 1, 2022. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
On travel forums, Japan’s Osaka and Vietnam’s Da Nang are often jokingly called “Osaka City, Gyeonggi Province” and “Da Nang City, Gyeonggi Province,” a nod to the overwhelming number of Korean tourists — enough to make the experience feel like a domestic trip. Data backs up this perception.
 
A total of 36.87 million foreigners visited Japan in 2024, according to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization and the Immigration Bureau of Japan on Saturday. Among them, Koreans accounted for 8.82 million, or 23.9 percent, making them the largest group of visitors.
 
 
They were followed by 6.98 million visitors from China, 6.04 million from Taiwan, and 2.72 million from the United States. Korean tourists have ranked first in visitor numbers to Japan for three consecutive years since 2022.
 
The most-visited city in Japan among Korean travelers was Osaka, with 30.7 percent. Fukuoka came second with 25.7 percent, followed by Tokyo at 24.8 percent.
 
Vietnam’s Da Nang and the Philippines’ Cebu have also become popular among Korean tourists, to the extent that one out of every two or three foreign visitors in these cities is Korean.
 
A total of 4.1 million foreign visitors traveled to the city in 2024, according to Da Nang’s tourism department. Of that total, 1.68 million — or 40.6 percent — were Korean, making them the largest group. Visitors from China and Taiwan followed.
 

The Marble Mountain in Da Nang, Vietnam is seen in this file photo [JOONGANG ILBO]

 
In the Philippines, as of Dec. 23 of last year, 5.68 million foreign tourists had visited the country. Among them, 1.22 million — or 21.5 percent — were Korean, making Koreans the leading group once again.
 
In Cebu alone, 1.9 million foreign tourists visited in 2024. Among them, 1.03 million were Korean, accounting for 54.1 percent, according to local tourism authorities.
 
What makes these cities so popular among Korean travelers is, above all, their value for money. As hotel rates and restaurant prices rise sharply in popular domestic destinations like Jeju Island, more people are saying, “For that kind of money, I might as well go to Japan or Southeast Asia.”
 

Tourists look at the iconic Chocolate Hills on Bohol Island in Central Visayas province in the Philippines on Dec. 8, 2025. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
Additional draws include visa-free entry for tourism, short flight times, and frequent airline service. Compared to routes to North America or Europe, airfare is relatively affordable.
 
Korean tourists can stay without a visa for up to 90 days in Japan, up to 45 days in Vietnam, and up to 30 days in the Philippines. Flight time from Incheon to Osaka is approximately two hours. It takes five hours to reach Da Nang and four hours and 30 minutes to get to Cebu.
 
Convenience for families is also a major factor. In cities like Da Nang and Cebu, families traveling with children can hire local babysitters at relatively affordable rates. Online forums include posts with reviews of local babysitters and even contact details such as KakaoTalk IDs.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK YOUNG-WOO [[email protected]]