Foreign tourists spent more than 14 trillion won ($10 billion) on cards in South Korea in the first eight months of this year, while August arrivals topped 2.25 million, the highest monthly figure on record.
15.05 Million Arrivals in Eight Months
A total of 15,048,435 foreign visitors came to South Korea from January through August, according to the August 2026 Korea tourism statistics released on the 28th by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization. The figure is up 21.6% from 12,379,498 a year earlier and marks a record for the January-August period.
The country also crossed the 15 million mark far earlier than last year, when cumulative arrivals passed that level in mid-October. This year the same level was surpassed in August. Arrivals stood at 131.2% of the level recorded in the same period of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monthly arrivals also set a record. A total of 2,245,293 foreigners visited in August, up 23.3% from 1,820,332 in August last year. That was 141.5% of the August 2019 level and the highest monthly figure since the data series began.
By country, Chinese visitors far outnumbered others. Chinese arrivals reached 4,816,134 from January through August, up 29.0% from a year earlier. Japan followed with 2,698,857, up 17.5%, and Taiwan with 1,656,255, up 32.2%. Arrivals from the United States rose 10.8% to 1.08 million, while those from Hong Kong climbed 18.1% to 495,680.
In August alone, China again led with 828,000 visitors, followed by Japan with 419,000, Taiwan with 245,000, the United States with 117,000 and Hong Kong with 79,000. China was up 36.9% from a year earlier and Taiwan up 28.0%, driving the overall increase.
Card Spending Reaches 14 Trillion Won
Spending grew even faster than visitor numbers. Foreign card payments in South Korea's tourism sector totaled 14.018 trillion won from January through August, up 48.5% from 9.4396 trillion won a year earlier and the largest amount since the data series began.
May recorded the highest monthly spending at 2.1235 trillion won, followed by June at 2.057 trillion won, April at 1.9945 trillion won, July at 1.953 trillion won and August at 1.932 trillion won.
Southeast Asian markets also showed strong growth. Arrivals from the Philippines reached 454,007 in the first eight months, up 16.1% from a year earlier, while Vietnam rose 10.5% to 406,816. Indonesia jumped 22.5% to 295,279. Singapore rose 11.9% to 243,078, Thailand 14.9% to 229,746 and Malaysia 12.6% to 206,838.
The ministry attributed the increase to easier entry procedures and expanded overseas marketing. The government relaxed multiple-entry visa requirements for 11 Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, starting March 30, and has been running a temporary pilot visa-waiver program for Indonesian group tourists since May 28.
Airfare promotions and social media campaigns ran alongside those measures. The ministry and the tourism organization worked with local influencers to promote travel to South Korea and ran airfare promotions with airlines and online travel agencies. A K-tourism roadshow in Singapore drew 120,000 visitors over three days.
Regional Airports and Ports Account for 27.8%
Entry routes are also broadening. A total of 2.83 million foreigners entered through regional airports from January through August, up 38.2% from a year earlier. Arrivals at regional seaports rose 10.6% to 1.36 million.
As a result, regional airports and seaports accounted for 27.8% of arrivals, the highest share so far this year. Arrivals through seaports in the greater Seoul area rose 81.8% from a year earlier to 450,000.
South Korea's growth also outpaced other major Asian destinations. The ministry compared statistics from national tourism authorities and found arrivals in South Korea up 21.6% in the first eight months. Over the same period, Vietnam rose 14.4%, while Japan fell 2.7% and Thailand 3.1%.
Kang Jung-won, head of the ministry's tourism policy office, said October is designated "Travel Month" and also draws the largest number of foreign visitors. "We will carefully manage entry procedures including visa issuance and airport and seaport processing, and strengthen marketing tied to K-culture to sustain strong interest in visiting Korea through the fourth quarter," Kang said.
