Inbound Tourists Recover to Pre-COVID-19 Levels... 1.49 Million Visitors Last Month Alone

330,000 Visitors in the Fourth Week of March... Surpassing Pre-COVID-19 Levels
Half of the Top 10 Inbound Markets Exceed 2019 Figures
Japan's Golden Week and China's Labor Day Expected to Sustain Uptrend

The number of tourists visiting Korea is rapidly recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 29th, the record for the first quarter of this year is 3,403,000 people. This is the largest quarterly figure since COVID-19. It has recovered to 88.6% of the 3.84 million recorded in the first quarter of 2019.

Foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd are enjoying sightseeing. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea in February reached 1,030,244. This is 86% of the level in February 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the same period, tourists from China and Japan also recovered to 76% and 86%, respectively. Additionally, tourists from the United States and Taiwan increased by 8.4% and 2.3%, respectively. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

In particular, the number of tourists visiting Korea last month reached 1,492,000, which is 97.1% of the same period in 2019. The fourth week alone saw 330,000 visitors, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time. A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official explained, "With warmer weather and cherry blossom blooming increasing sightseeing opportunities, as well as spring vacations in Japan, the Americas, and Europe, travel to Korea has become more active."

The most encouraging point is the recovery trend in the top 10 major inbound markets (China, Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore). Half of them have exceeded their first quarter 2019 levels. These include Taiwan (306,000 people, 108.8%), the United States (244,000 people, 119.3%), Vietnam (110,000 people, 100.4%), Singapore (68,000 people, 163.3%), and the Philippines (108,000 people, 109.3%).

China had the largest number with 1,015,000 visitors, already surpassing half of last year's 2.01 million. Japan was the second largest with 666,000 visitors. More than half, 340,000, visited Korea last month alone, nearly doubling from 180,000 in February.

On the 2nd, foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong in Jung-gu, Seoul, are enjoying sightseeing. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea in February reached 1,030,244. This is 86% of the level compared to February 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the same period, tourists from China and Japan also recovered to 76% and 86% levels, respectively. Additionally, tourists from the United States and Taiwan increased by 8.4% and 2.3%, respectively. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

This is due to the influence of the Major League Baseball opening ceremony held in Seoul. On March 16, just before the special game, 13,000 people entered Korea. This is nearly double the average daily number of Japanese visitors in the first quarter, which was 7,300. According to Shinhan Card's foreign visitor card spending data, foreign tourist spending in Guro-gu, where the game was held, was 1.89 billion won last month, about 2.5 times the 760 million won in February.

The sharp growth trend was also seen in emerging markets such as Australia and Europe. Australia had 51,000 visitors, 46% more than the first quarter of 2019. France saw a 42% increase to 27,000 visitors, and Germany had a 30% rise to 32,000 visitors.

According to KT's foreign visitor movement data, the average stay of American tourists was 12 to 14 days, which is 3 to 4 times longer than the average of 3 to 4 days for nearby Asian visitors. Generally, long-distance travelers tend to stay longer and spend more.

On the 2nd, foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, are eating street food. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea in February reached 1,030,244. This is 86% of the level in February 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the same period, tourists from China and Japan also recovered to 76% and 86%, respectively. Additionally, tourists from the United States and Taiwan increased by 8.4% and 2.3%, respectively. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

Inbound foreign visitors are expected to maintain an upward trend until early next month. This is because of the usual peak seasons during Japan's Golden Week (April 27 to May 6) and China's Labor Day (May 1 to 5). In fact, according to Japanese travel agency HIS, reservations for Jeju Island by Japanese tourists increased by a staggering 1502.1% compared to the previous year.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "In the case of Japan, more than 100,000 people are expected to visit Korea during the ten-day consecutive holidays." Regarding China, the official said, "Flight, cruise, and ferry reservation rates are all strong," and "Around 80,000 people are expected over the five-day period."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.