Many Adults Treat Parents to Overseas Trips

An increasing number of adults are taking their elderly parents on overseas trips.

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According to Korea's largest tour operator Hana Tour on Wednesday, 274,000 adults and their parents went on a package tour last year, up 91.5 percent, from 143,000 in 2012.

Their proportion among total customers has steadily increased from 16.6 percent in 2012 to 18.6 percent in 2017.

Japan was the favorite destination for this group of travelers with 31.3 percent. Vietnam was the runner-up with 13.2 percent, followed by China with 8.9 percent, Thailand with 8.3 percent, and Europe with 7.7 percent.

Although the number of people traveling abroad with young children rose by 38 percent from 2012 to last year, their proportion dropped from 19.3 percent to 16.5 percent.

"There is a new trend where elderly people who are still energetic and have the financial capacity go on overseas trips with their adult children who are used to traveling abroad", said Lee Hoon at Hanyang University. "Of course TV programs featuring such trips influenced the spread of this trend as well".