South Korea witnesses major surge in tourism

(MENAFN) The Korea tourism Organization announced on Thursday a substantial rise in the number of tourists visiting South Korea, with April figures showing a 64.6 percent increase year-on-year, totaling 1.46 million tourists. This number is notably 89.5 percent of the pre-pandemic levels recorded in April 2019. Among the top contributors, China led with 411,000 tourists, followed by Japan with 229,000, the United States with 123,000, Taiwan with 118,000, and Vietnam with 53,000 visitors. Compared to April 2019, the United States and Taiwan saw increases of 19.7 percent and 4 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, tourist numbers from China and Japan reached 83 percent and 79 percent of their April 2019 levels, respectively.

From January to April, the total number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea reached 4.87 million, marking an 86.9 percent increase over the same period last year and representing 88.8 percent of the numbers from the corresponding period in 2019. China remained the top source of tourists during this period with 1.43 million visitors, followed by Japan with 900,000, Taiwan with 420,000, the United States with 370,000, and Vietnam with 160,000.

Additionally, the number of South Koreans traveling abroad also saw a significant rise, with 2.11 million Koreans traveling overseas in April, reflecting a 41 percent increase over the same month last year and reaching 94 percent of the April 2019 figures. For the first four months of the year, 9.54 million South Koreans traveled abroad, which is 94 percent of the number recorded during the same period in 2019. This data highlights a robust recovery in both inbound and outbound tourism for South Korea as travel activities rebound post-pandemic. 

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