Report: Western Tourists Surge in Gyeongju as Local Businesses Celebrate
Creatrip Team
18 days ago
Gyeongju, a historic city in North Gyeongsang Province, is seeing a sharp rise in Western visitors this year, with many tourists from the U.S. and Europe shopping and visiting sites like Hwangridan-gil, Bomun Tourist Complex, and Cheomseongdae. Business owners, museum staff, and guides report substantial increases in foreign guests and sales; nearly half of surveyed tourism operators said revenues jumped. City data show about 570,000 foreign visitors through May, up 18% year‑on‑year, and travel demand is filling KTX train seats. Some operators removed Chinese signage and replaced it with English as Western arrivals outnumber visitors from neighboring countries. Officials hope the trend—driven partly by global interest in Korean culture and last year’s APEC meeting—will help grow regional small‑city tourism similar to Japan’s model. (Hwangridan‑gil: a popular local shopping/street food area) (Bomun Tourist Complex: a major resort area) (Cheomseongdae: an ancient astronomical observatory)
