South Korea surpassed its previous annual record for foreign tourist arrivals on October 27, reaching the milestone more than two months before the end of 2026. The former full-year high was 18.94 million visitors. A preliminary count put arrivals through October 26 at 18.91 million, while the recent daily average of about 64,000 arrivals indicated that the record was exceeded the following day.
The pace accelerated sharply during the first nine months of the year. South Korea received 17.11 million foreign visitors from January through September, an increase of 21.5 percent from the same period a year earlier. Mainland China supplied 5.47 million visitors, while total arrivals from the greater Chinese market rose 29.1 percent. Japanese arrivals increased 16.9 percent to 3.12 million.
Tourism growth spreads beyond the capital region
South Korea’s gains contrasted with declines elsewhere in the region. Foreign arrivals to Japan and Thailand fell 2.9 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, during the same period, while Vietnam recorded growth of 14.5 percent. The comparison indicates that South Korea captured a particularly strong share of the regional tourism rebound.
The expansion also reached beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. Foreign arrivals through airports and ports outside the capital region increased from 3.74 million to 4.82 million. Visits by foreigners to regional destinations rose 19.7 percent to 64.72 million, showing that more tourism activity was distributed across the country rather than remaining concentrated around the main entry hubs.
Spending rose faster than visitor numbers. Foreign card spending increased 47.7 percent to 15.9 trillion won, supported by shopping, accommodation, and medical and wellness purchases. The government attributed the record to the spread of Korean popular culture, expanded air services, relaxed visa rules, improved transportation and stronger tourism coordination. If the current pace continues, annual arrivals could pass 20 million in the third week of November and reach the government’s 23 million target by year-end.