Korea welcomes 10 million overseas visitors a month earlier than last year as tourism spending hits record high

The number of foreign visitors to Korea surpassed 10 million as of Saturday, reaching the milestone about a month earlier than last year, the Culture Ministry said Wednesday.

Last year, foreign arrivals topped 10 million in mid-July, according to the ministry. 

The total number of foreign visitors from January to May rose 21 percent on year to 8.72 million, compared with 7.21 million during the same period last year.

In May alone, Korea welcomed 1.95 million foreign tourists, up 19.4 percent from May last year.

Chinese tourists accounted for the largest share of visitors in May at 563,600, followed by Japanese travelers at nearly 360,000.

Visitors from Taiwan recorded the biggest growth, up 27.6 percent to 191,795 from 150,272 a year earlier.

The number of foreign visitors arriving at regional airports outside the Seoul metropolitan area also rose sharply to 360,000 in May, up 32 percent from a year earlier.

Foreign tourists also spent an estimated 2.1 trillion won ($1.37 billion) on card purchases in Korea in May, including online spending. This is up 67.1 percent from a year earlier and is also the first time the monthly total has surpassed 2 trillion won since records began in January 2018.

“Despite higher fuel surcharges resulting from tensions in the Middle East, foreign arrivals to Korea increased 21 percent from a year earlier through May and reached 10 million in mid-June, highlighting the continued strength of inbound tourism,” said Kang Jung-won, head of the ministry's tourism policy office. 

“We will further promote Korean tourism to international travelers by expanding cooperation with K-pop artists and other private-sector partners.”

BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]