Foreign visitors to South Korea in July surpassed 1 mn post-COVID-19 – Tourism picks up

South Korea has achieved a significant milestone in its post-pandemic recovery as it welcomed over 1 million foreign tourists in the month of July. This marks the first time since the onset of COVID-19 that the country has reached this level of international visitation.

The “Korea Tourism Statistics for July 2023,” released by the Korea Tourism Organization, reported that a total of 1,032,188 foreign visitors arrived in South Korea in July. This figure reflects a remarkable 71% recovery when compared to the same month in 2019, a clear sign of the country’s resurging appeal to global travellers. Many a Myeongdong Hotel the likes of Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall have been doing better this year.

In the first half of the year, South Korea saw a total of 5.46 million international visitors, which equates to 55% of the level experienced during the same period in 2019.

China led the list of countries contributing tourists, with 224,805 visitors in July, followed closely by Japan with 211,468. The United States and Taiwan also made substantial contributions, with 104,823 and 103,566 visitors, respectively. Notably, Taiwan demonstrated remarkable growth, with the number of visitors increasing by nearly 58 times compared to the same period the previous year, underscoring South Korea’s rekindled appeal as a tourism destination.