Korea hits 10 million inbound visitors earlier than last year as tourism spending soars
Creatrip Team
a month ago
South Korea reached 10 million overseas arrivals by mid-June, about a month earlier than last year, the Culture Ministry said. From January to May foreign visitors rose 21% year-on-year to 8.72 million, and May alone saw 1.95 million tourists. Chinese and Japanese travelers led the numbers, while visitors from Taiwan showed the fastest growth. Regional airports outside the Seoul metropolitan area also recorded a strong rise. Foreign card spending in May exceeded 2.1 trillion won ($1.37 billion) — the first time monthly card spending topped 2 trillion won since records began — up 67.1% from a year earlier. Officials plan to boost promotion of Korean tourism through partnerships with K-pop (Korean pop) artists and private-sector partners.
