Tourists from the Republic of Korea visit Tsingtao Beer Museum in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 31, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

The number of flights between the Chinese mainland and South Korea was up by more than 10 percent in 2025, data from an industry platform VariFlight sent to the Global Times showed on Friday. 

In detail, in 2025, the number of operated flights between the Chinese mainland and South Korea was 108,526, compared with 98,027 in 2024, representing a growth rate of 10.7 percent, the platform said. 

This is also in line with growth in the number of travelers between the two countries. Yonhap News reported on Friday that the number of travelers between South Korea and China jumped 22 percent to 16.8 million, supported by visa-waiver programs implemented by both countries, citing data from South Korean's government.

The report said the number of airline passengers at South Korean airports totaled 124.8 million last year, up 3.9 percent from 120 million a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The figure marked the highest annual total, surpassing the previous peak of 123.4 million in 2019, according to the Yonhap report. 

The increase was largely driven by a rise in the number of international passengers to and from South Korea, which rose 6.3 percent on-year to around 94.5 million, while domestic travelers fell 2.8 percent to 30.2 million over the period.

Chinese experts attributed it to the visa-free policies, which has pushed two-way tourism into a new phase.

China currently offers visa-free entry for visitors from South Korea, while South Korea has implemented a temporary visa exemption for Chinese tour groups consisting of three or more people, effective from September 29, 2025 until June 30, 2026. This allows eligible Chinese group tourists to stay for up to 15 days.

Flight data further underscored South Korea's growing appeal. On December 11, Korean Air announced a significant year-on-year increase in passenger numbers on its South Korea-China routes for 2025, with Shanghai emerging as the most favored destination for Korean travelers. 

According to the airline's annual report published on its website, passenger volume from South Korea to Shanghai alone rose by 128,000 year-on-year.

The number of passengers traveling from South Korea to Beijing increased by 71,000, while the number heading to Qingdao increased by 63,000. 

During the 2026 New Year's Day holidays, South Korea ranked first in flight volume among the top 20 international/regional destinations for travelers from the Chinese mainland, registering a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase from 2025. By contrast, flights to Japan witnessed a sharp 40.5 percent year-on-year plunge, according to data released by Flight Master, a travel services platform.

Among the top 20, flights to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and the US increased by more than 20 percent compared to the 2025 holiday period, while those to Cambodia, Russia, the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore rose by over 10 percent, Flight Master data showed.

Global Times