More Koreans are planning to travel overseas this summer as there are growing signs of an economic recovery.

According to travel agencies Hana Tour and Mode Tour on Tuesday, tours to China, western Europe and Japan are nearly fully booked for the peak season between late July and early August. Reservations for tours to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific are also expected to close soon.

As of Monday, Hana Tour had received reservations from about 110,400 customers for overseas tours in July and August, up 94 percent year-on-year. "Right after the second half of 2008, fewer people traveled overseas because of the weak won, soaring oil prices, the recession, and the swine flu scare," an industry insider said. "But demand for overseas travel this year is soaring as the economy has started to recover and the won is a bit stronger."

Hana Tour has put more than 10 percent of customers on the waiting list for major tour programs in July. More are on the waiting list for popular destinations like Beijing, Shanghai and Zhangjiajie in China, France and the U.K. in western Europe, and Kyushu in Japan.

But reservations are still available for tours to Thailand and Indonesia and the South Pacific, and it is expected to be relatively easy to book tours from the second week of August. A Mode Tour executive advised customers to avoid the peak season between July 30 and Aug. 4.

Chung Ki-yoon of Hana Tour said, "If you can't get bookings for your favored destination, an alternative would be to travel off-season." The industry estimates that the number of outbound tourists this summer will exceed that of 2007 -- the largest of all time.

Hana Tour has received bookings from some 74,000 customers for overseas travel in July, far more than in the same period in 2007. Mode Tour has bookings from 62,100 for July and August, a 2.5-fold increase year-on-year.