Foreign tourists traveling in South Korea are increasingly opting to drive themselves. Rentals by foreigners in the country have surged by 154% over the past year, with visitors from Australia, Thailand, and Taiwan tripling their bookings. Domestic rental car usage has also risen by 194%, expanding demand beyond Jeju to cities like Yeosu, Gangneung, and Gyeongju.
According to an analysis of rental car reservation data by Trip.com, the total number of global rental car bookings increased by 81% compared to the same period last year. South Korea ranked fourth among countries for rental car travel destinations.
Japan topped the list, with bookings rising by 119% year-on-year. Thailand and the United States followed, with South Korea's growth rate at 148%. Australia ranked fifth.
Jeju was the most popular city for rentals, with bookings increasing by 148% compared to the previous year. Major Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Okinawa, Sapporo, and Fukuoka followed.
Domestic rental car reservations by South Koreans also saw a significant increase of 194% year-on-year. The most popular destination was Jeju, followed by Seoul, Busan, Yeosu, Gangneung, and Gyeongju, indicating a broader range of rental car usage across these regions.
Foreign bookings for domestic rentals rose by 154% during the same period, with Australia showing the highest growth rate at 333%. Other countries with notable increases included Thailand (295%), Taiwan (289%), Malaysia (281%), Singapore (249%), Japan (179%), and Hong Kong (171%).
Notably, South Korea ranked second among overseas rental car destinations for Taiwanese users. It was third for Vietnamese users and fourth for both Singaporean and Filipino travelers, while it ranked fifth for Malaysian users. In Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan, South Korea was sixth, and seventh for Australia.
South Koreans are also renting more cars abroad, with popular destinations including Japan, South Korea, the United States, Thailand, Canada, and Italy. All top ten regions saw booking numbers increase by over 100% compared to the previous year.
More than half of all rental car bookings by South Koreans were for Japan and South Korea. Vehicles with five seats or fewer accounted for about 80% of the rentals.
Trip.com collaborated with Tamra Rent-a-Car in Jeju last year. From January to July this year, the use of Tamra Rent-a-Car by international travelers increased by 56% compared to the same period last year.
Hong Jong-min, head of Trip.com’s South Korea branch, stated, “Rental car travel is becoming a new trend that goes beyond being a simple means of transportation, allowing travelers to discover the charm of destinations at their own pace. We will enhance our services to facilitate local travel for foreign tourists visiting Korea and to make it easier for Korean travelers to rent cars both domestically and internationally.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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