Celebrating Spring (Festival): Tokyo Takes Top Destinations Spot for Asian Travelers During Lunar New Year 2020

Tokyo, Bangkok and Taipei are the top three destinations for travelers from across Asia to celebrate the Lunar New Year, according to data from Agoda, one of the world’s fastest growing digital travel platforms. This year, Tokyo nudged Bangkok off pole position, steadily climbing the ranks from third place in 2018 to the top spot, while Taipei moves to third place.

In fact, Taiwan is a key destination this year, with four of the market’s cities featuring in the top ten, Taipei (#3), Taichung (#4), Kaohsiung (#6) and Tainan (#9). Other favorite destinations to welcome the Lunar New Year include Seoul (#7) and Chiang Mai (#10).

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Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, sees the biggest global migration as revelers across the globe visit family and friends. Spending quality time with family and enjoying tasty treats for reunion dinners takes precedence during the Lunar New Year, making it a perfect time for the whole family to travel together. It is little wonder then, that Japan, Malaysia and Thailand secured top overall destinations for Asian travelers, to bring in the Lunar New Year — each offering their own unique blend of mouth-watering eats, cultural experiences and shopping havens for every member in the family to enjoy.

Lunar New Year Travel Highlights by Market:

• Travelers from China are flocking to Japan with Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo the top international destination cities for Chinese travelers.

• Japan is the number one country for travelers from Thailand this Spring Festival, with eight of the top 10 cities in Japan.

• Meanwhile, Japanese travelers are heading to more tropical destinations this Lunar New Year – Thailand’s Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai scooping 1^st, 3^rd and 9^th spots respectively while Singapore, Cebu and Honolulu come in 7^th, 8^th and 10^th. Meanwhile Seoul moves up from 4^th in 2019 to 2^nd spot for this year.

• South Korean travelers are also heading for beach destinations to celebrate ‘Seollal’ with top ten entries including Nha Trang (#3), Da Nang (#4), (in Vietnam), Cebu (#6) (in Philippines), Guam (#8) (in Micronesia) and Bali (#10) (in Indonesia).

• Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are the main beneficiaries from Singapore travelers this Lunar New Year, while Batam, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur scoop the top three cities’ titles.

• Travelers from Taiwan are heading to international destinations to celebrate the Spring Festival are flocking to Japan with 7 of the top 10 top destinations within the country. South Korea’s Seoul (#6) and Busan (#9) are also winners this year.

• Vietnamese travelers celebrate ‘Tet Nguen Dan’ (or Tet), and this year, once again, travelers seeking international destinations are heading to the bustling cosmopolitan cities Bangkok (#1), Singapore (#2), Taipei (#3) to celebrate.

• Malaysia, the second most visited country for travelers from across Asia this Lunar New Year, also scoops five of the top 10 international destinations for Indonesian travelers — Kuala Lumpur (#1), Genting Highlands (#4), Penang (#6), Johor Bahru (#8), and Kuching (#9).

• Malaysian travelers heading for international shores are choosing neighboring Thailand for five of its top destination cities (Hat Yai, #1; Bangkok, #2; Krabi, #3; Phuket, #4; and Koh Lipe, #10).

China

With a week-long holiday from school and work, Chinese have the greatest opportunity to travel abroad for the Lunar New Year. The top three destinations for this year’s break are all within Japan — Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo — pushing the country to the top of the list of destination countries.

Indonesia

Even though Lunar New Year was only instituted as an official holiday in Indonesia in 2003, the holiday has become one of the most prominent celebrations in the country. In 2020, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand remain as the most popular countries to travel to for the second year running. Malaysia leads the pack with no shortage of great destinations within the country for Indonesians to head to. This includes Kuala Lumpur (#1), Genting Highlands (#4), Penang (#6), Johor Bahru (#8) and Kuching (#9). 2020 also marks the first year that Osaka (#7) and Kyoto (#10) appears on the list of favorite destinations for Indonesians during the Lunar New Year.

On the flip side, Singaporeans also have a preference for celebrating their Lunar New Year holidays in Indonesia — with the country placing second in Singapore’s list of favourite destinations. Beach destinations are most popular among these city-dwellers, with Batam (#1), Bintan (#6) and Bali (#7) appearing in this year’s list.

Japan

Japanese travelers appear to be heading to more tropical destinations for Lunar New Year in 2020, with Thailand — the ‘Land of Smiles’ — being the top choice. Within Thailand, Bangkok (#1), Pattaya (#3) and Chiang Mai (#9) come out as part of the top 10 destination cities this year. A new addition to Japan’s list is the city of Angeles/Clark in the Philippines, known for its shopping, food, and nightlife.

This year, Japan is also a destination where Lunar New Year travelers from around the region flock to, with the country topping the chart for overall travelers within Asia, as well as those from China, South Korea and Thailand.

Malaysia

Thailand, Japan and Indonesia continue to be hot favorites among Malaysians for the past three years. Neighboring Thai city destinations — from shopping capitals like Hat Yai (#1) and Bangkok (#2), to beach retreats such as Krabi (#4), Phuket (#6) and Koh Lipe (#10) are popular in 2020. This is also the first year that Tokyo enters the top three, after a steady rise from eighth place in 2018 and fifth place in 2019.

Being at the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia attracts many tourists from the region during the Lunar New Year — making it the second-most visited country among Asians in 2020.

Singapore

For the third year running, Singaporeans prefer celebrating Lunar New Year closer to home. Neighboring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have consistently ranked top of the list — providing a quick getaway for the locals during the holiday. Batam Island (#1) and Johor Bahru (#2) and Kuala Lumpur (#3) are also some of the closest — being a short ferry, car, or plane ride away.

The city of Singapore also features highly as a Lunar New Year destination among the Vietnamese and Indonesians — achieving second and third spot, respectively.

South Korea

Lunar New Year is known as Seollal in South Korea and is one of the most celebrated festivals in the country. Korean travelers know what they want from their Seollal break, and their travel patterns reflect that well, with Japan, Vietnam and Thailand remaining firm favorites among locals for the third year running.

South Korea is also a popular destination to head to during Spring Festival, with Seoul achieving seventh place among travelers across the region. The city is also particularly favored by others in the Northeast Asian region — hitting second place for Japan and fourth in China.

Taiwan

Unsurprisingly, Lunar New Year is a big deal in Taiwan. The holiday traditions are all centered around having fun with family and friends — and traveling together is often seen as a great opportunity to bond while experiencing something new. For the second year running, Japan, Thailand and South Korea make the country’s top three list of countries to head for Spring Festival celebrations. The favorite international destination city among travelers from Taiwan seems to be holding steady, too, with Tokyo maintaining its number one spot. This is followed closely by Okinawa and Osaka, as well as the first (and only) entry by Thailand — Bangkok.

Taiwan’s extravagant celebrations haven’t gone unnoticed by others in Asia, either. Taipei (#3), Taichung (#4), Kaohsiung (#6) and Tainan (#9) have all secured a spot in the region’s top 10 destinations for Lunar New Year.

Thailand

Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in Thailand, despite the day not being official national holiday. Falling on a Saturday in 2020, Lunar New Year presents a perfect opportunity for Thais to travel. Among Thai travelers, Japan continues to be a hot travel destination, with Tokyo (#1), Osaka (#2), Sapporo (#3), Nagoya (#4) and Kyoto (#8) being popular picks, and hidden gems like Takayama (#5), Hakodate (#6) and Fujikawaguchiko (#7) making the list as well.

Among regional travelers, Thai cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai are also highly sought-after destinations to ring in the Lunar New Year – which place second and tenth respectively in our 2020 list. Thailand’s scenic beaches and lively shopping options are particularly attractive to those in Malaysia, with Hat Yai (#1), Bangkok (#2), Krabi (#4), Phuket (#6) and Koh Lipe (#10) all being part of their top 10 list for Lunar New Year travels.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is also known as Tet Nguyen Dan (or “Tet”) and is a time for everyone to spend time with their families. Traveling to Thailand (or more specifically, Bangkok) seems to be an annual tradition for Vietnamese travelers, with the destination consistently ranking first over the past three years. Outside of Thailand, the Vietnamese have diverse tastes in their travel preferences — with Singapore (#2), Taipei (#3), Tokyo (#5) and Bali (#6) all making the cut.

Vietnam is yet another hot spot to visit during the Spring Festival — with the country achieving second place in the list of top country destinations for South Korea. Top cities that made the cut for the Koreans include Nha Trang (#3) and Da Nang (#4).

Agoda booking data from origin markets across Asia was collated for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Lunar New Year dates:

• 16 – 17 February 2018
• 5 – 6 February 2019
• 25 – 26 January 2020