Foreign Tourist Arrivals to South Korea Top 2 Million in July, Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Levels
Key Takeaways
- •South Korea recorded 2.09 million foreign visitors in July, marking a 20.8% increase from the same month last year.
- •July arrivals were 144.6% of the level seen in July 2019, before the pandemic disrupted international travel.
- •China was the largest source market in July with about 777,000 visitors, followed by Japan, Taiwan, the United States and Hong Kong.
- •Foreign arrivals in South Korea reached 12.8 million in the January-July period, up 21.3% year on year.
- •Tourism growth continues to be driven largely by nearby Asian markets, which have returned close to pre-pandemic levels more quickly.
South Korea received more than 2 million foreign visitors in July, an increase of more than 20 percent from a year earlier that carried monthly arrivals past pre-pandemic levels, tourism data showed Tuesday.
Figures released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the state-run tourism agency affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, showed 2.09 million foreign visitors arrived last month, up 20.8 percent from 1.73 million a year earlier.
The July total came to 144.6 percent of the arrivals recorded in July 2019, the last full summer season before the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted international travel.
By source market, Chinese tourists made up the largest group with about 777,000 visitors, followed by Japan with 330,000, Taiwan with 261,000, the United States with 150,000 and Hong Kong with 76,000. Arrivals from Taiwan were up 129.4 percent compared with July 2019.
For the January-July period, South Korea welcomed 12.8 million foreign visitors, a 21.3 percent rise from the same period last year. China remained the largest source of visitors with 3.99 million arrivals, followed by Japan with 2.28 million, Taiwan with 1.41 million, the United States with 960,000 and Hong Kong with 420,000.
China and Japan, South Korea's two nearest large source markets, have historically supplied the largest shares of the country's inbound tourists. Before the pandemic, South Korea attracted about 17.5 million foreign visitors in 2019. Inbound travel collapsed during the pandemic years and has recovered as border restrictions were eased, with visitors drawn by Korean pop culture, cuisine, shopping and historical sites such as Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. The latest figures also underscore how closely South Korea's tourism rebound remains tied to regional travel demand, especially from nearby Asian markets that can quickly return to pre-pandemic volume.
Source: Korea Herald / Yonhap
