About half of Eastar Jet Co.'s foreign passengers were travelers on Greater China routes. Jeju Island is the most popular destination in Korea for these travelers, but recently, visits to Busan have also been on the rise.
Eastar Jet Co. said on the 2nd that of about 1.02 million foreign passengers last year, about 500,000 used Greater China routes. In the first quarter of this year as well, of about 300,000 foreign customers, 130,000 used Greater China routes.
On the Taipei-Songshan route, the share of foreign passengers rose from 57% in 2024 to 67% last year and 69% in the first quarter of this year. On the Incheon-Zhengzhou route, it increased from 55% to 73% over the same period. The Incheon-Hong Kong route, which launched in March this year, is also maintaining a foreign passenger share of around 90%.
In particular, demand for trips to Jeju is the highest. On the Jeju-Taipei route, the share of foreign passengers was 86% in 2024, 94% last year, and 96% in the first quarter of this year, continuing to rise. On the Jeju-Shanghai route, it reached 98% in the first quarter of this year.
Recently, the number of foreign tourists visiting Busan has also been increasing. On the Busan-Taipei route, the share of foreign passengers in the first quarter of this year rose month by month to 79% in January, 86% in February, and 92% in March.
To strengthen its push into Greater China, Eastar Jet Co. is assigning veteran sales staff as local station managers and expanding its network with travel agencies and corporations. The company also noted that operating nighttime schedules that improve convenience for local customers has helped drive growth in foreign passenger numbers.
An Eastar Jet Co. official said, "We will continue to actively attract foreign passengers through localization strategies by country," adding, "We will strengthen route competitiveness by expanding demand originating locally and contribute to revitalizing the domestic tourism industry."