A record 15.05 million foreign tourists visited South Korea in the first eight months of this year, reaching the 15 million mark about two months earlier than in mid-October last year.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Sept. 28 that cumulative arrivals from January through August rose 21.6% from a year earlier. August alone drew 2.25 million visitors, up 23.3% from the same month last year and marking a second straight monthly record after July's 2.09 million.
Card spending by foreign visitors in the tourism sector also hit a record. Spending from January through August totaled 14.018 trillion won ($10.1 billion), up 48.5% year-on-year. Given that the cumulative figure through July stood at 12.0859 trillion won, foreign tourists spent 1.9321 trillion won in August alone.
More foreigners also entered the country through regional gateways. Arrivals at regional airports and seaports increased from 3.53 million in the January-July period to 4.19 million through August. Regional entries accounted for 27.8% of all arrivals, the highest share so far this year. Arrivals at regional airports alone reached 2.83 million, up 38.2% from a year earlier.
By market, growth was most pronounced among Greater China. Chinese visitors totaled 4.82 million in the first eight months, up 29.0% from a year earlier, while Taiwanese arrivals rose 32.2% to 1.66 million. Japanese visitors increased 17.5% to 2.7 million.
