From APEC to packed: Foreign tourism in Gyeongju jumps 19% in wake of gathering

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang — The world leaders have left, but the world keeps coming. Nearly a year after Gyeongju hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the ancient capital saw a 19 percent on-year increase in the number of foreign tourists in the first half of the year.

Hwangnidan-gil, a popular tourist street lined with restaurants and cafes, was bustling with visitors on Aug. 15 for the Liberation Day holiday.

Long lines stretched outside restaurants and cafes, while nearby roads became snarled with cars searching for parking.

Amid the wall-to-wall crowds, conversations in foreign languages could be heard up and down the street.

While Seoul and Busan are the obvious stops for foreign tourists, they are now becoming a much more noticeable presence in Gyeongju.

The change comes in the wake of the APEC summit in November 2025. The gathering's tourism boost appears to have carried well into the new year.

A total of 707,197 foreign tourists visited Gyeongju from January through June this year, according to Korea Tourism Data Lab figures cited by the city on Friday. The figure is 112,695 more than the 594,502 recorded during the same period in 2025, an increase of 19 percent.

City officials attribute the rise to the international exposure Gyeongju gained as host of the APEC summit.

Monthly foreign visitor numbers rose from 65,687 in January to 162,605 in April. Gyeongju welcomed 162,013 foreign tourists in May and 137,840 in June, with each of the first six months of the year recording on-year increases.

Chinese tourists made up the largest share of foreign visitors at 16.5 percent, followed by Taiwan at 9.3 percent, Japan at 6.4 percent, the United States at 6.1 percent and the Philippines at 4.5 percent.

Visitors from Hong Kong and Vietnam each accounted for 4 percent, followed by Indonesia at 3.9 percent and Russia at 3.8 percent. Singapore and Thailand each accounted for 3.3 percent. Tourists from Germany accounted for 2.7 percent, France at 2.2 percent, Canada at 1.8 percent and Australia at 1.7 percent.

Gyeongju now hopes to turn its post-APEC bump into lasting tourism growth. The city plans to strengthen promotions tailored to individual overseas markets and expand tourism offerings that encourage visitors to stay longer.

“Gyeongju’s heightened international profile following the APEC summit is translating into an increase in foreign tourists,” Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young said. “We will step up efforts to target overseas tourism markets and expand tourism content that encourages visitors to stay longer so that the APEC effect can continue.”

BY KIM JUNG-SEOK [[email protected]]