Korea nears tourist record ahead of schedule

Korea is on its way to surpassing last year's annual record of inbound tourists within October.

The number of inbound tourists to Korea jumped by 21.5 percent from January to September compared to the same period last year to stand at 17.1 million this year, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday.

Last year, the total number of inbound tourists recorded 18.9 million.

Tourists actively used both seaports and airports to enter Korea, even outside of the larger capital region. Inbound tourists increased by 17.3 percent in airports in the capital region and 37.4 percent in regions outside of the capital region, while seaports also saw a 70.4 percent jump in seaports near Seoul and 14.5 percent outside of the capital region.

The increase in inbound travelers also translated into expanded expenditure by foreigners. Tourists spent 15.9 trillion won ($12 billion) in credit cards, both online and offline, during the January to September period, up 47.7 percent compared to the 10.79 trillion won spent last year. 

"Our efforts to diversify content, improve traveling conditions and raise awareness in Korean tourism are all paying off," said Kang Jung-won, head of the tourism policy bureau at the Culture Ministry. "We will hold a press conference in the near future to detail the achievements in the tourism sector this year, as well as plans for next year.

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]