South Korea foreign tourist arrivals set annual record two months early

South Korea's foreign tourist arrivals have already broken the country's full-year record, the culture ministry said Tuesday, reaching the previous annual high more than two months ahead of schedule as inbound travel grows far faster than in neighboring markets.

Arrivals passed the 18.94 million recorded for all of 2025 on Oct. 27. Through September, 17.11 million foreign visitors came to Korea, up 21.5 percent from 14.08 million a year earlier.

That pace stands out against Korea's main regional competitors. Japan's arrivals fell 2.9 percent over the same period and Thailand's dropped 3.8 percent, while Vietnam managed growth of 14.5 percent.

Gains were spread across most source markets rather than concentrated in one. Arrivals from Greater China rose 29.1 percent, from Japan 16.9 percent, from Southeast Asia 15.3 percent and from the Americas and Europe 15.1 percent.

The growth is also reaching beyond the capital region. Arrivals through airports and seaports outside the Seoul metropolitan area accounted for 28.2 percent of the total, up from 26.5 percent a year earlier, and the number of regional visits by foreign tourists rose 19.7 percent to 64.72 million.

Spending has climbed faster still. Credit card spending by foreign visitors in the first nine months totaled 15.9 trillion won ($12 billion), up 47.7 percent from 10.8 trillion won ($8.17 billion) a year earlier and the highest since the government began compiling the data. Shopping accounted for 37.0 percent of that spending, accommodation 19.6 percent and medical and wellness services 16.6 percent.

The government expects about 1.94 million arrivals in November, which would push the cumulative annual total past 20 million for the first time in the third week of the month, and it projects that its target of 23 million for the year is achievable.

"Having reached the all-time high in foreign tourist arrivals more than two months early, the 23 million target we set ambitiously at the start of the year is now within reach," Culture Minister Choe Hwi-young said. "It is especially encouraging that both the share of regional arrivals and the number of regional visits are rising together."

The ministry attributed the result to the global spread of Korean culture, stronger cooperation across government, expanded flight capacity, eased visa issuance, improved transport convenience, a supplementary budget drawn up in response to the Middle East war and stronger overseas marketing, backed by the upgrade of a national tourism strategy council to a presidential body.

Choe said the government would focus on quality as well as volume. "Building on the current growth, we will concentrate our efforts on qualitative consolidation as well as quantitative expansion, so that Korea can firmly establish itself as an irreplaceable travel destination in the global tourism market," he said.