[News Today] May holiday tourists flock Jeju

[LEAD]
Jeju-do Island is bracing for a tourism boom as the May holiday season kicks in. A series of public holidays in South Korea, Japan and China are overlapping, driving a surge in domestic and international travelers.

[REPORT]

Jets full of passengers take off and land one after another.

The arrival section of Jeju Airport bustles with travelers.

They include large families that came to Jeju to spend a six-day holiday, which includes Children's Day.

Chung Eung-ho / Daegu resident
We started planning this trip five months ago. We thought about going abroad, but my granddaughters are too young, so we decided to come to Jeju.

Three Northeast Asian countries -- South Korea, Japan and China -- share multiple public holidays at the same time.

The number of international flights to Jeju increased 25% on-year to some 160 on 18 routes.

Tourist from China /
The Labor Day holiday is long. I took five-day leave to come to Jeju. I want to see the scenic beaches and try local food and have fun during my stay.

Despite the rain, the island's major sites were crowded with tourists having fun together and making special memories.

Kim Min-sook / Bucheon resident
Now that our children are in college, we came here to make special memories. We are happy that we'll get to see beautiful flowers in Jeju.

Some 250,000 domestic and international tourists are predicted to visit Jeju during the May holiday period.

5 large cruise ships will be bringing in some of these tourists via sea as well.