Foreign arrivals jumped but stays and spending declined

Tourism policy fragmented across multiple ministries

Visas handled by Justice Ministry, ports by Oceans Ministry

High-value medical tourism falls under Health and Welfare Ministry

Lawmakers say a policy control tower is needed

People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Yeon-uk [Provided by Jeong Yeon-uk's office]
People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Yeon-uk [Provided by Jeong Yeon-uk's office]

Foreign arrivals to South Korea jumped 71.7 percent last year to about 18.94 million, yet the average length of stay fell to 6.5 days and per-visitor spending on accommodation and dining dropped by roughly 17 percent each. The gap between raw visitor numbers and meaningful economic impact has prompted calls in the National Assembly for a dedicated tourism agency to consolidate policy scattered across multiple ministries.

People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Yeon-uk of Busan's Suyeong-gu, a member of the Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, urged a shift in tourism policy at Wednesday's national audit of the Korea Tourism Organization, saying qualitative outcomes such as length of stay and spending have lagged far behind the sector's quantitative growth.

Data submitted to Jeong by the Korea Tourism Organization showed foreign arrivals rose from about 11.03 million in 2023 to about 18.94 million last year, an increase of about 7.91 million, or 71.7 percent. Over the same period, however, the average length of stay shrank from 7.8 days to 6.5 days. Per-visitor spending on accommodation fell 17.8 percent, while restaurant spending dropped 16.9 percent.

The repeat-visit rate has also stagnated, hovering between 54 and 56 percent over the past four years. While the number of foreign visitors has grown sharply, drawing them to stay longer or return has proved difficult.

Cruise tourism illustrated the same disconnect between visitor volume and spending. Cruise passengers nearly quadrupled over the past three years to about 905,000, yet per-passenger spending fell 81 percent compared with a decade ago. The average time cruise passengers spent ashore in Busan was 6.7 hours.

Jeong also said medical tourists spend 3.8 times more than general tourists, but demand remains heavily concentrated in Seoul. The number of foreign patients treated in South Korea last year reached about 2.01 million, up 71.9 percent from about 1.17 million in 2024. The regional gap, however, widened. Foreign patients treated in Seoul jumped from about 999,642 to about 1.755 million over the same period, pushing Seoul's share of all foreign patients from 85.4 percent to 87.2 percent, a rise of 1.8 percentage points.

Jeong also identified the fragmentation of tourism-related responsibilities across government as a structural problem. For cruise tourism, visa matters fall under the Ministry of Justice while terminal operations are handled by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Medical tourism's foreign patient attraction work falls under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Because tourism policy is divided among ministries, coordinated implementation is difficult, Jeong said, adding that a dedicated tourism agency should be established to serve as a control tower for the sector.

"Attracting 30 million foreign tourists is a means, not an end," Jeong said. "The Korea Tourism Organization should incorporate length of stay and repeat-visit rates into its performance indicators, and discussions on establishing a tourism agency must begin."


terry@heraldcorp.com