K-Tourism Misses Targets Despite Record Visitors; Still Dependent on China, Japan
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
South Korea is on track for a record number of foreign visitors this year (likely surpassing 2019), but key issues remain. As of October about 15.2% more foreigners visited compared with last year (roughly 15.82 million through Oct.), yet the country will likely miss the 20 million target this year and is far from the government’s 30 million goal. Visitor markets remain concentrated in Greater China (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) and Japan, which together made up 61.6% of arrivals through October. Efforts to diversify into Southeast Asia and high-spending Gulf countries (GCC) have shown limited gains — many Southeast Asian markets grew only single digits and GCC arrivals remain small. Tourism spending and distribution are heavily Seoul-centric: Seoul accounted for nearly 70% of foreign visitor spending, with Incheon and Gyeonggi adding up to 84.5%—regional areas see under 1% each. Industry voices call for policies focused on higher-value visitors and boosting regional tourism revenue rather than just visitor counts. (GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council)
