Foreign tourists top 10 million in first half, spending W10tr on K-tourism

Foreign tourists take photos with character mascots at the Character Licensing Fair 2026 held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]

Inbound tourism to South Korea gained broad momentum in the first half of this year, with visitor numbers topping 10 million and credit card spending surpassing 10 trillion won ($6.82 billion). Arrivals through regional airports and overall tourist satisfaction also rose, pointing to a wider geographic spread and stronger contributions to domestic consumption.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that 1,993,128 foreign visitors arrived in June, a 23.1 percent increase from the same month last year. Cumulative arrivals for January through June reached about 10.71 million, up 21.3 percent year on year.

Foreign tourists visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, as growing interest in traditional Korean culture drives a rise in palace visitors this year. [Yonhap]

By market, China led with about 650,000 arrivals in June, up 36.2 percent from a year earlier. Japan followed with about 350,000, a 21.3 percent increase, while Taiwan recorded 220,000, up 35.3 percent. On a cumulative first-half basis, China accounted for about 3.21 million visitors, Japan about 1.95 million and Taiwan about 1.16 million. China's recovery drove overall growth, with short-haul markets such as Japan and Taiwan providing additional support.

Market diversification also continued. Americas visitors in June numbered about 220,000, up 7.8 percent, while European arrivals of about 120,000 rose 18.8 percent. Other markets — including Southeast Asia, Oceania and Africa — contributed 367,120 visitors, a gain of 11.4 percent. The simultaneous expansion of long-haul and Southeast Asian demand is gradually reducing reliance on any single source market.

Foreign tourists browse shops along Myeong-dong in Seoul. [Yonhap]

Spending figures were even more striking. Foreign tourists' credit card expenditure in June reached 2.05 trillion won, jumping 66.4 percent from a year earlier. It was the second consecutive month above 2 trillion won, following May, and pushed the first-half cumulative total to 10.04 trillion won — a 50.8 percent increase over the same period last year. Last year, cumulative spending did not cross the 10 trillion won mark until September; this year it did so roughly three months earlier.

The surge reflects not just higher visitor numbers but rapid growth in spending on shopping, food and beverage, accommodation and activities — all of which contributed substantially to the domestic economy.

Foreign tourists visit Gwangmyeong Cave in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]

Signs of a regional tourism revival were also evident. Foreign arrivals through regional airports — including those in Gimhae, Daegu, Jeju and Cheongju — reached 395,246 in June, up 42.5 percent from a year earlier, far outpacing the 18.2 percent growth recorded at Greater Seoul-area airports over the same period. For the full first half, regional airport arrivals came to about 1.96 million, a 42.1 percent increase that again outstripped the 17.3 percent gain at metropolitan-area airports.

A second-quarter survey of inbound tourists also showed improvement. According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the regional visit rate among foreign visitors rose to 34.2 percent in the second quarter of this year, up 2.8 percentage points from the same quarter last year, while overall travel satisfaction climbed from 89.8 points to 90.5 points.

Kang Jeong-won, director general for tourism policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the strong first-half performance reflected "the irresistible appeal of K-culture combined with the efforts of the government and the tourism industry." He added that the rise in regional airport arrivals and spending were "encouraging results," and pledged that the ministry would continue to provide policy support "so that every corner of Korea can become a stage for K-tourism."

terry@heraldcorp.com