The number of foreign tourists is recovering to pre-pandemic levels.
According to the Korea Tourism Statistics announced by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on June 28, the number of foreigners that visited Korea in May was 1.42 million, a 63.6% increase compared to the same month in 2023 (867,000). This is 95% of the tourists who visited in 2019, marking the highest recovery rate since the pandemic.
China recorded the most visitors to Korea in May (395,000), followed by Japan (278,000), the U.S. (123,000), Taiwan (117,000), and Hong Kong (46,000).
The countries with the highest recovery rate were the six GCC countries (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain), with a recovery rate of 391%. The U.S. showed a high recovery rate of 113.8%, and non-Chinese Greater China regions recorded 102.4%. China recorded 79%, and Japan recorded 97.3%. The cumulative number of visitors to Korea from January to May was 6.28 million, an 81.1% increase compared to the same period in 2023 and a 90% recovery compared to the same period in 2019. The countries with the most visitors to Korea were China (1.82 million), Japan (1.17 million), Taiwan (540,000), the U.S. (490,000), and the Philippines (200,000), respectively.
Meanwhile, the number of Korean tourists traveling abroad in May was 2,268,310, a 34.8% increase compared to the same month in 2024 (1,683,022) and a recovery to 94% of the 2019 level. The cumulative number of Korean tourists traveling abroad from January to May was 11.8 million, indicating a recovery rate of 94%.