South Korea sets new record for foreign tourist arrivals

SEOUL – South Korea has shattered its annual record for foreign tourist arrivals with more than two months still left in 2026, surpassing the 2025 historic high of 18.94 million on Oct 27.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism based the milestone on a provisional count of 18.91 million arrivals until Oct 26 and a daily average of about 64,000 visitors in 2026.From January to September, 17.11 million foreign nationals visited South Korea, up 21.5% from a year earlier. Over the same period, arrivals fell 2.9% in Japan and 3.8% in Thailand, while Vietnam posted a 14.5% gain, according to the ministry.Visitors from Greater China rose 29.1%, led by 5.47 million people from mainland China.Arrivals from Japan increased 16.9% to 3.12 million, while those from the rest of Asia and the Middle East, as well as from Europe, the Americas and Oceania, each rose about 15%.More tourists are also travelling beyond Seoul.Entries through airports and seaports outside the capital region rose to 4.82 million from 3.74 million, and regional visits climbed 19.7% to 64.72 million. Card spending by international visitors jumped 47.7% to 15.9 trillion won (S$15.23 billion), led by shopping, lodging and medical and wellness services.If the current pace holds, about 1.94 million people will visit in November, pushing the annual total past 20 million for the first time in the third week of the month.The ministry credited the increase to the global spread of Korean culture, along with more flights, eased visa rules, a supplementary budget drawn up in response to the war in the Middle East and the elevation of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting to a presidential body.“Inbound tourism will set a new record every day from now on,” Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said, adding that the ministry would focus on quality as well as volume as it works towards 30 million annual visitors. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK