Tourism Seoul most popular oshogatsu destination for Japanese

H.I.S. announced the popular destination ranking on Nov. 25. Hawaii's Honolulu -- the most popular destination last year -- came in second place in the new ranking. Seoul, which was fourth place last year, topped the list this year for the first time since 2011. The ranking was based on tickets that H.I.S. has sold for international flights departing between Dec. 24, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023, as well as its package tours over those dates. According to the company, destinations close to Japan have been popular due to soaring fuel surcharges and the weak Japanese yen. The increased number of flights between Japan and South Korea, easing of the latter's entry restrictions and other factors that have made travel convenient are behind Seoul's popularity. Many of the top 10 destinations are in the Asia region, with Bangkok in Thailand in third place, Busan in South Korea in fourth place, and the U.S. territory of Guam in fifth place.

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1. Seoul
2. Honolulu
3. Bangkok
4. Busan
5. Guam
6. Singapore
7. Taipei
8. Manila
9. Paris
10. Ho Chi Minh City