Foreign tourist arrivals to S. Korea top 2 mln in July

South Korean tourism data revealed that foreign tourist arrivals topped 2 million in July, marking a 20.8% increase compared to the same month last year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The Korea Tourism Organization announced that the number of foreign visitors reached 2.09 million in July, up from 1.73 million in July 2020.

This represented 144.6% of the arrivals recorded in July 2019. The largest group of visitors came from China, accounting for approximately 777,000 tourists, followed by Japanese travelers with 330,000, Taiwanese visitors at 261,000, Americans at 150,000, and Hong Kong residents with 76,000. Compared to July 2019, Taiwanese arrivals surged by 129.4%.

From January through July 2021, South Korea welcomed 12.8 million foreign visitors, a 21.3% rise from the same period in 2020. China remained the leading source of visitors during this period, followed by Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.