More choosing leisure than tradition during holidays

Usually around this time of the year Mi Bo-ra, a 26-year-old engineer, would spend her time slaving away in the kitchen for hours preparing the harvest festival feast.

But this Chuseok, Mi is doing something different: going on vacation.

There is an increasing trend among Koreans who are choosing to go on vacation, rather than make the yearly journey to their hometowns.

According to the Incheon International Airport Corporation, the number of travelers passing through their gates has increased over the past six years. In 2005, there were 310,425 patrons stamping their passports and in 2010 there were 448,817 vacationers five days before and after the holiday season. In 2011, it is predicted that 516,000 travelers will walk through the airport within a five-days of Chuseok.

A survey conducted by the job search site, Career, showed that 15.8 percent of white collar workers plan on traveling overseas to Southeast Asia, Japan, China and Europe among other places, this holiday.

According to another survey by the online shopping site Gmarket, only slightly more than a third of the participants interviewed said that they planned to go back to their hometown over the holiday season.

However, the survey of 1,288 customers of the site showed that 40 percent of the participants will enjoy the holiday season at home, while another 20 percent said they plan to travel for leisure.

“Our family prefers going on vacation much more than getting together for traditional Chuseok,” said 25-year-old Kwon Ji-won, whose family is also choosing to go on vacation this year.

“We don’t have to put in the effort preparing for a big feast, and there is just less general family pressure,” she said.

Even for those going on vacation with their extended family, the simple change in tradition offers a different perspective on the holidays.

“Our family likes this because it’s more like a vacation than a chore,” said Mi, who is not only going on vacation with her immediate family, but her extended family as well.

And those like Kwon and Mi are increasing every year.

“Although most of my friends are going back home to see their relatives, I think more and more of them are starting to travel or relax at home,” said Kwon.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)