Foreign Arrivals In S. Korea Surpass 10 Million, On Track For New Annual High

SEOUL, June 24 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korea has welcomed more than 10 million foreign visitors so far this year, raising the possibility that the country could set a new annual record, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Foreign arrivals exceeded 10 million during the third weekend of this month, about a month earlier than last year, when the mark was reached in mid-July, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is the first time the figure has been reached within the first half of any year.

Inbound travel has rebounded strongly, with 1.95 million visitors recorded in May alone, up 19.4 per cent from a year earlier.

Chinese tourists accounted for the largest share in May at 560,000, followed by Japanese visitors at 360,000 and Americans at 210,000.

Officials also pointed to a growing distribution of visitors beyond the capital region. Arrivals through regional airports rose steadily from 230,000 in January to 360,000 in May.

Foreign visitors' card spending in May, including online purchases, totalled 2.12 trillion won (US$1.38 billion), the first time monthly spending has exceeded 2 trillion won since the country began tracking such data in 2018.

"Despite higher fuel surcharges linked to the Middle East crisis, inbound arrivals were up 21 per cent year-on-year through May and surpassed 10 million by mid-June, showing solid growth momentum.

"We will expand cooperation with private-sector partners, including K-pop artists and export companies, to further promote South Korea as a travel destination,” Kang Jung-won, head of the ministry's tourism policy office, said.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP