(Yicai Global) May 14 -- China is the South Korean holidaymakers' favorite tourism destination this summer, state-run Yonhap news agency reported today, adding the feel-good factor sparked by a diplomatic thaw in relations between the two countries has led to more holiday bookings in China.

The South Korean holidaymakers' bookings of China holiday packages for July and August jumped nearly threefold, showed data from South Korean travel agency ModeTour today.

The short-haul tourist destination to China and Japan was popular online search keywords for the South Koreans who plan a summer holiday this year, the report said. The increase in China tour bookings is largely attributable to the easing of diplomatic tensions caused by the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, anti-ballistic missile defense system, dispute, said a manager from ModeTour.

The number of South Korean summer holiday bookings in Japan has also increased due to a weak Japanese yen, the report added. Summer holiday bookings for Japanese destinations surged 39.5 percent for July and almost 59 percent for August, data showed.

Some other South Korean travel agencies also reported similar jump in holiday bookings for tourism destinations in China. HanaTour said the bookings of their China holiday packages for June rose 2 1/2 times year-on-year.

Editor: Mevlut Katik