South Korea welcomed 10.71 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, with sustained growth from the Americas, Europe, and Oceania signaling that the country's tourism market is diversifying beyond its traditional Asian base, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. Visitors from those three regions combined account for roughly 2.03 million — nearly 19 percent of total arrivals — a growing share for a country whose inbound tourism has long been dominated by neighboring Asian markets including China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Visitors from the Americas reached 1.08 million through June, up 12.7 percent year-on-year, while European arrivals rose 20.2 percent to 740,000. Other markets, including Oceania, grew 11 percent to 210,000.

Among individual countries, the United States recorded 730,000 visitors, an 11.1 percent increase. Canada grew 17.1 percent, Brazil 22.1 percent, and Mexico 16.3 percent. In Europe, Britain and Germany each surpassed 100,000 visitors, rising 22.1 percent and 15.4 percent respectively. France posted 17.2 percent growth and Italy 29 percent. Russia also saw a modest increase despite the suspension of direct flights, a consequence of the war in Ukraine.

The ministry attributed much of the growth to improved flight access. New direct routes launched last year connected Incheon with Salt Lake City, Seattle, Canada, and Denmark. A new London route followed in March, and a new service to Newark, New Jersey, is scheduled to begin in September. The expansion of long-haul connectivity addresses what has been a persistent constraint on Western visitor growth, giving travelers from North America and Europe more one-stop and direct options.

British carrier Virgin Atlantic launched daily Incheon-London service in March, adding approximately 70,000 seats this year alone — a factor the ministry linked to the 22 percent rise in British visitors.

Marketing campaigns tied to Korean pop culture and major global sporting events also contributed. The global reach of the Korean Wave — spanning K-pop, K-drama, food, and beauty — has built consumer familiarity with South Korea across Western markets over the past decade, creating a foundation that government campaigns now seek to convert into actual travel. A Korea tourism promotional booth connected to a BTS concert in London attracted roughly 50,000 fans, the ministry said.

During this year's FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the ministry operated a Korea tourism booth from June 9–21 at the Global Village fan zone in Mexico City's Chapultepec Park, an official fan engagement area established around World Cup host cities. The booth generated 1,480 tour package sales, 3,315 travelers, and an estimated $16.13 million in revenue.

In France, the ministry is preparing a Korea-themed special issue of the travel magazine Le Figaro Voyage for September to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations. The initiative includes hiking and regional-experience tour packages developed in partnership with a French hiking federation.

The ministry also highlighted an April symposium held in Korea by Virtuoso, a network of luxury travel agencies — the first such event in Northeast Asia — as part of a broader push into high-end travel from Western markets, where per-visitor spending tends to exceed that of mass-market Asian group tours.

Additionally, the ministry credited a network of 12 promotional outposts across 11 countries, concentrated mostly in Europe and Oceania. These outposts have been operated in emerging markets without full overseas branches since 2024. Visitor numbers from several of those markets rose sharply this year: Sweden up 57 percent, Poland up 33 percent, and Spain up 26 percent.

"The steady growth in visitors from the Americas, Europe and Oceania reflects the combined effect of Korean culture's growing global recognition and wide-ranging marketing efforts, including new promotional outposts in emerging markets," a ministry spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that tourism authorities will continue tailoring tourism products to Western markets and improving visitor convenience.