Sokcho City Welcomes 7.87 Million Visitors in Q3; Tops Navigation Search Rankings

Increase in Both Non-Local and Foreign Visitors
Rise in Spending, Overnight Stays, and Social Media Mentions
Compact Tourism Routes Highlighting Nature and Culture

The total number of visitors to Sokcho City from July to September this year reached 7,877,944, an increase of 2.8% compared to the same period last year. During the same period, Sokcho also ranked first and second in navigation search rankings within Gangwon Province, reaffirming its status as the top tourist city in the region.

Beat On Sokcho (Silent DJ). Provided by Sokcho City

Sokcho City completed its analysis of tourism trends for the third quarter of 2025, utilizing mobile location data, credit card transactions, consumption data, navigation search results, and AI-based social data provided by Korea Tourism Data Lab.

The number of non-local visitors to Sokcho in the third quarter was 7,799,550, up 2.7% from the same period last year, while the number of foreign visitors rose by 7.1% to 78,394.

The increase in visitors was largely due to the peak season in July and August. The number of visitors in July surged by 14% year-on-year to 2,705,086, and the number in August also increased by 3% to 3,286,341. This growth is attributed to a variety of nighttime tourism content and beach festivals-such as Sea of Light Sokcho, Beat On Sokcho, Sokcho Chilling Beach Festival, and night openings-as well as the hosting of large-scale performances like Waterbomb Sokcho and Psy's Hmphbok Show.

Psy's Hmphbok Show event in Sokcho. Provided by Sokcho City

The proportion of visitors staying overnight in the region during the summer also increased, solidifying Sokcho’s position as a destination for extended stays. In July and August, the number of one-night stays rose by 6.3%, and two-night stays increased by 5.5%. Tourism spending during the same period also grew by 6.1% year-on-year. As the average length of stay increased, spending centered on accommodation and experiences also expanded.

In addition, social media data confirmed a rise in interest. In the third quarter of 2025, the number of Sokcho-related mentions on social media reached 249,564, up 10.2% from the previous year, with a high proportion of family and friend groups. Keywords such as "healing," "resort," "camping," and "surfing" were evenly mentioned, indicating a diverse range of interests. Notably, in September, Sokcho was selected as a recommended destination for the "2025-2026 Visit Gangwon Year," leading to a 12.9% year-on-year surge in related mentions.

Navigation search data also clearly reflected Sokcho’s popularity. Among the top 20 tourist destinations in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, four were located in Sokcho: Sokcho Tourist & Fisheries Market (1st), Sokcho Beach (2nd), Daepo Port (13th), and Seorak Cable Car (16th). This is seen as evidence of Sokcho’s appeal as a compact city offering a wide variety of tourism content within a small area.

Sokcho Beach Night Opening. Provided by Sokcho City

Lee Byungseon, Mayor of Sokcho, stated, "This analysis shows that the domestic and international competitiveness of Sokcho tourism is expanding, especially during the peak season. We will continue to enhance tourism infrastructure and service quality in line with seasonal demand changes and strengthen Sokcho’s appeal by expanding content for extended stays."

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