With summer just around the corner, people from all corners of the globe are preparing for their upcoming travels, eager to make up for lost time. Trip.com data reveals that global travel bookings for the summer (June 1 – August 31) have already surpassed 2019 levels, with intra-regional travel leading the way.

Overall, bookings on the Trip.com platform this summer have increased by 170% when compared to the same period in 2022. Specifically, thanks to the relaxation of travel restrictions in APAC, summer bookings have skyrocketed by 356% YoY in Asia, with European markets recording a 72% YoY increase this summer.

Short-haul regional tours are the preferred trip this summer, with short-distance flight bookings accounting for 44% of all bookings in Asia and more than half in Europe (67%). On the other hand, the percentage of long-haul summer travel in Europe dropped significantly from 48% in 2019 to 13% this year; Over in Asia, the percentage is up slightly from 22% in 2019 to 27%.

Specifically, Asian travellers are focusing on travel closer to home. The top 10 most-booked cities in Asia are - Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

Among them, it can be seen that the popularity of Korea and Seoul is growing little by little. As a result of looking at the reservation status of Trip.com global users from June to August in Asia, Korea ranked 4th after Japan, China and Thailand when classified by country. Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore followed.

When classified by city, Seoul ranked second after Bangkok, showing a high reservation rate. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, Osaka, and Singapore were also ranked in the top cities. In addition, Jeju ranked 10th, proving the high popularity of Jeju in the Asian region.

“We are witnessing a strong rebound in short-haul travel across all our global markets this summer,” said Ray Chen, CEO of the Hotel Business Unit, Trip.com Group. “As flights and hotel capacity continue to increase, and the global industry is better prepared for welcoming back international travellers, we can expect a faster return of long-distance travel in the near future.”