[DiaryPoint | Reporter Choi Seung-jin] South Korea is estimated to have welcomed more than 20 million foreign tourists for the first time on Nov. 12. The provisional tally through Nov. 11 stood at 19.97 million. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the milestone was reached that day based on an average of about 64,000 arrivals per day this year. The ministry has set a target of 23 million visitors for the full year.
The previous annual record of 18.94 million, set last year, was surpassed on Oct. 27. Visitor numbers have doubled in 14 years since South Korea first recorded 10 million arrivals on Nov. 21, 2012. In the latest Overseas Hallyu Survey, released at the end of last year, 65% of respondents said Korean popular culture positively influenced their purchases of Korean products and services. That share has risen over the past three years, from 58% to 64% and then 65%.
South Korea welcomed 17.11 million visitors from January through September this year, up 21.5% from 14.08 million in the same period last year. Foreign tourists’ spending on tourism-related purchases by card totaled 15.9416 trillion won during the period, up 47.7% from 10.794 trillion won a year earlier. September alone saw 2.06 million arrivals, 21.1% more than a year earlier and the first time monthly arrivals topped 2 million.
Entry points are also spreading beyond the capital region. From January through September, 3.24 million visitors arrived through airports outside the capital region, accounting for 19.0% of the total, up 37.4% from a year earlier. Another 1.58 million arrived through regional ports, or 9.2% of the total, a 14.5% increase. The ministry’s regional airport list includes Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju and Daegu; its ports list includes Busan, Jeju, Seogwipo, Yeosu and Gunsan.
Tourism spending is growing faster than visitor numbers, while arrivals through regional airports are rising quickly, creating more opportunities for tourism demand in areas such as lodging, dining and transportation to reach communities outside the capital region. Kang Jeong-won, the ministry’s director general for tourism policy, said in a September update: “Efforts on many fronts—including raising awareness of travel to Korea, improving the travel environment and expanding tourism content—are bearing fruit.”
The ministry plans to mark the 20-million milestone with a commemorative event, meetings with industry representatives and welcome events at regional international airports. On Nov. 12, Second Vice Minister Kim Dae-hyun will visit Incheon International Airport to greet arriving visitors. The ministry also plans an event tied to Korea Grand Sale, a shopping and travel promotion, along with a social media relay campaign.
At the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting in February, officials announced plans to bring forward South Korea’s goal of welcoming 30 million visitors—originally set for 2030—to 2029, expand international routes at regional airports and introduce faster screening for cruise passengers. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young called the 20-million milestone “a starting point for becoming an unmissable tourism powerhouse” and said the country would prepare to welcome 30 million visitors and, eventually, 40 million.