South Korea's annual foreign arrivals surpassed 10 million by the third week of June, reaching the milestone at a record pace, with China retaining its position as the country's largest source of inbound tourists.
The figure was achieved about a month earlier than last year, when foreign arrivals exceeded 10 million in mid-July, according to preliminary data released by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday.
The country's inbound tourism sector continued to show strong momentum, with 1.95 million foreign visitors recorded in May, up 19.4 percent from a year earlier. During the first five months of the year, total foreign arrivals reached 8.72 million, an increase of 21 percent year-on-year.
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China remained the largest source market, with 560,000 visitors from the Chinese mainland in May. Arrivals from Taiwan and Hong Kong totaled 190,000 and 60,000, respectively.
Japan ranked second with 360,000 visitors, while long-haul travelers from Europe and the Americas also numbered about 360,000.
"Despite the increase in fuel surcharges stemming from the Middle East situation, the total number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea through May rose 21 percent year-on-year and surpassed 10 million by mid-June, showing a solid growth momentum in inbound tourism," said Kang Jung-won, head of the ministry's tourism policy office.
According to ministry data, foreign tourists' domestic card spending in May was estimated at 2.1 trillion won ($1.35 billion), up 67.1 percent year-on-year and exceeding the 2 trillion won mark for the first month since records began in January 2018.
The Korea Tourism Organization noted on June 17 that the surge was largely driven by Chinese tourists, whose card spending more than tripled in May compared with the same month last year.
The organization attributed the increase to high-end luxury shopping by Chinese visitors, especially watches, jewelry and accessories.
South Korea has stepped up efforts to attract more Chinese tourists. Recently, Seoul and Beijing agreed to increase bilateral air traffic rights by an additional 70 flights per week within the second half of the year, including 56 passenger services, according to a June 8 statement from South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The agreement marked the first expansion of bilateral traffic rights since 2019 and reflects growing people-to-people exchanges and trade between the two countries.
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Passenger traffic between China and South Korea reached around 4.39 million in the first quarter, surpassing the pre-pandemic level of 4.14 million recorded during the same period of 2019 before COVID-19, ministry data showed.
Looking ahead, the Yanolja Research institute in Seoul predicted in January that South Korea would welcome a record of more than 20 million foreign visitors this year.
China is expected to solidify its position as the largest inbound tourism market, with 6.15 million arrivals, the travel and tourism research institute said.
It added that the figure could exceed 7 million as some travelers choose destinations other than Japan amid bilateral tensions.
Contact the writers at kelly@chinadailyapac.com
