Tourism in South Korea explained

Tourism in South Korea and its industry caters to both foreign and domestic tourists.^{[1] [2]} In 2023, 11.0 million foreign tourists visited South Korea, making it the 20th most visited country in the world.^[3] Most non-Korean tourists come from East Asia and North America, such as Taiwan and the United States. The popularity of Korean popular culture, often known as the "Korean Wave", in countries around the world has significantly increased tourist arrivals.^[4]

South Korea has 16 World Heritage Sites, including Changdeokgung Palace, Namhansanseong and Hwaseong Fortress.^[5] Seoul is the principal tourist destination for visitors; popular tourist destinations outside of Seoul include the major coastal city of Busan, the Seorak-san national park, the historic city of Gyeongju and subtropical Jeju Island.^[6]

Korean tourism industry

See also: Korea Tourism Organization. The majority of the South Korean tourist industry is supported by domestic tourism. Thanks to the country's extensive network of trains and buses, most of the country lies within a day's round trip of any major city.International tourists come primarily from nearby countries or regions in Asia. Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan together account for roughly 75% of the total number of international tourists.^[7] In addition, the Korean Wave has brought increasing numbers of tourists from Southeast Asia and India. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is targeting 100,000 arrivals from India in 2013.^[8]

South Korean domestic tourism

See also: Provinces of South Korea. The number of Korean domestic tourists has increased since 2010. The number of people who participated in domestic travel (which includes one-day trips) was about 238.3 million (in 2015), increased by 4.9% compared to 2014 (227.1 million).^[9] In 2014, Korean's domestic tourism expenditure was ₩14.4 trillion.^[10]

Also, Korean overseas tourist numbers have been increasing since 2010. From 2012 to 2014, the number of South Koreans travelling overseas has risen by about 8.2% on average. In 2014, number of Korean overseas tourists was about 16.1 million. And Korean overseas tourism expenditure was $19,469.9 million.^[11]

Statistics

In 2019, the contribution of travel and tourism to the Korean GDP was up 4.2% of the total economy (₩ 81.4 billion). Which accounted for 4.8% of total employment (1.3%). The impact of international visitors accounted for ₩ 26.5 billion (World Travel and Tourism Council).^[12]

Spending habits include:

• Leisure spending 82% vs. Business spending 18%
• Domestic spending 55% vs. International spending 45%^[13]

Arrivals

Visitors arriving to South Korea for tourism by nationality:^[14]

Country	9/2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
	3,606,416	2,019,424	227,358	170,215	686,430	6,023,021	4,789,512
	2,309,069	2,316,429	296,867	15,265	430,742	3,271,706	2,948,527
	1,102,274	960,607	72,925	4,130	166,716	1,260,493	1,115,333
	974,085	1,086,415	543,648	204,025	220,417	1,044,038	967,992
	413,543	403,984	61,195	1,258	88,878	694,934	683,818
	386,212	420,688	185,061	22,946	81,939	553,731	457,818
	358,013	342,819	199,845	116,233	115,696	503,867	460,168
	239,004	250,249	106,750	46,563	66,762	278,575	249,067
	229,457	347,814	165,272	7,525	18,009	246,142	231,897
	222,027	379,442	179,259	8,319	76,568	571,610	558,912
	201,769	259,872	70,449	4,488	48,550	408,590	382,929
	189,706	201,849	93,064	29,795	34,734	196,153	194,259
	170,724	198,604	65,502	3,503	23,172	173,218	153,133
	148,965	158,775	60,019	32,897	73,086	343,057	302,542
	136,480	122,771	64,829	31,338	33,830	143,367	119,791
	123,784	133,406	62,619	15,700	19,371	110,794	100,096
	120,705	132,720	65,107	20,038	22,254	120,730	115,789
	111,705	121,376	44,806	8,974	20,419	143,676	130,977
	105,703	135,216	62,670	5,769	21,476	113,599	113,864
	56,245	56,717	65,957	56,728	43,406	73,722	71,094
	47,433	47,631	18,138	4,091	6,455	52,894	46,546
	46,800	52,480	36,195	13,674	15,773	88,276	82,984
	42,560	46,874	30,273	7,212	10,240	52,966	52,859
	41,517	49,225	25,651	13,434	12,521	39,138	37,134
	36,132	40,935	24,901	5,414	10,725	41,734	33,395
	35,594	31,748	18,051	5,323	6,560	31,293	29,558
	35,076	34,508	14,367	2,719	3,649	30,656	27,314
	33,942	22,141	8,676	3,472	5,726	30,481	25,192
	33,278	29,192	11,732	4,114	5,563	23,913	21,971
	32,679	27,528	440	36	5,905	52,462	52,831
	30,627	37,344	27,168	2,457	6,430	26,313	25,926
	28,751	39,956	15,722	1,660	6,598	38,954	34,205
	23,416	22,854	8,609	1,683	3,954	23,788	19,745
	21,853	21,404	15,437	4,057	5,070	18,338	17,901
	19,759	20,217	8,069	1,496	1,884	17,847	18,103
	18,760	19,888	15,274	2,946	4,530	17,952	16,151
	17,471	17,349	8,491	1,098	1,716	14,158	11,553
	16,770	15,976	13,305	14,206	11,568	27,667	25,608
	15,339	18,974	7,455	1,525	2,188	19,709	19,503
	14,977	11,911	4,168	379	1,450	12,816	11,924
	14,808	16,878	7,728	2,148	2,497	14,539	12,499
	12,886	12,646	5,516	1,195	3,143	13,144	11,795
	12,572	12,197	9,511	2,564	3,603	13,721	14,188
	12,153	11,785	5,872	3,295	3,200	12,781	11,372
	12,093	13,053	6,556	1,920	2,397	12,570	12,635
	11,537	13,564	6,138	1,396	2,059	13,453	12,044
	10,331	12,668	5,511	2,861	3,033	13,912	14,372
	10,144	9,536	3,827	1400	1,856	11,425	10,794
	10,045	13,425	6,266	1,039	1,445	17,102	15,328
	9,412	10,690	4,574	921	1,507	11,770	13,615
	9,243	9,244	3,962	875	1,631	10,211	8,723
	8,219	7,839	5,586	3,317	3,038	9,756	9,290
	8,063	8,808	3,118	726	2,536	11,527	10,759
	8,056	8,209	4,895	3,686	3,004	7,107	4,280
	8,228	8,404	5,388	2,115	1,439	7,659	7,305
	7,941	6,643	2,654	570	975	7,384	5,876
	6,601	7,413	3,356	998	1,154	6,178	4,754
	6,381	7,402	4,736	1,429	1,460	13,226	11,427
	5,431	4,883	1,691	354	969	5,153	4,832
	5,337	6,050	1,944	254	1,035	5,944	5,149
	4,939	4,547	3,176	1,833	1,651	6,536	6,079
	4,761	5,643	3,773	1,907	1,507	5,833	7,630
	4,614	3,928	2,469	1,594	2,047	5,962	6,083
	4,393	6,700	1,447	112	723	6,795	4,876
	4,376	5,846	3,619	1,405	828	4,489	2,863
	3,555	3,944	2,486	737	1,085	5,009	4,284
Total	12,137,427	11,031,665	3,198,017	967,003	2,519,118	17,502,756	15,346,879

Total tourist numbers

Year	Number of international visitor arriving in S. Korea	% change from previous year
2003	4,752,762	-11.1
2004	5,818,138	+22.4
2005	6,022,752	+3.5
2006	6,155,046	+2.2
2007	6,448,240	+4.8
2008	6,890,841	+6.9
2009	7,817,533	+13.4
2010	8,797,658	+12.5
2011	9,794,796	+11.3
2012	11,140,028	+13.7
2013	12,175,550	+9.3
2014	14,201,516	+16.6
2015	13,231,651	-6.8
2016	17,241,823	+30.3
2017	13,335,758	-22.7
2018	15,346,879	+15.1
2019	17,502,756	+14.0

China

China has been South Korea's largest tourism source for years. In 2016, visitors from China made up 46.8% of tourists in South Korea. However China imposed a group tour ban after the US military deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea. From April 2017, Chinese tourists plummeted by more than 60% compared to the previous year.^{[15] [16]} In 2020, the South Korean tourism industry made it a long-term goal to reduce its dependency on Chinese tourists.^[17]

Japan

Since Lee Myung-bak's visit to the Liancourt Rocks and his demand for an apology from the Emperor of Japan over Japanese colonialism in Korea in 2012, the Japanese public's image of South Korea deteriorated significantly. Japanese tourists to South Korea halved from 3.5 million in 2012 to 1.8 million in 2015, while South Korean tourists to Japan doubled from 2 million in 2012 to 4 million in 2015.^{[18] [19] [20]}

Domestic tourism

Year	Number of domestic tourist per year^[21] ^[22] ^[23]
2015	38,307,303
2014	38,027,454
2013	37,800,004
2012	36,914,067
2011	35,013,090
2010	30,916,690
2009	31,201,294

Destinations in Korea

See also: List of World Heritage Sites in South Korea.

South Korea's historical tourist attractions include the ancient capitals of Seoul, Gyeongju and Buyeo.

Some natural landmarks include the peaks of the Baekdudaegan, particularly Seorak-san and Jiri-san, the caves of Danyang and Hwanseongul, and beaches such as Haeundae and Mallipo.

Apart from Jeju island, there are many smaller islands. Excursion ferries are quite common along the south and west coasts and also to Ulleung-do Island, off the east coast. Limited tourism mainly by South Koreans to the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) has grown in recent years as a result of the political status of the rocks.

Many local districts hold annual festivals, such as the Boryeong Mud Festival and the Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival.

Number of Tourist by Travel Destination 2015!Administrative divisions!Number of tourist

Seoul	12,451,891
Busan	7,158,553
Daegu	3,163,161
Incheon	4,407,063
Gwangju	2,135,332
Daejeon	2,984,929
Ulsan	1,632,410
Sejong	333,329
Gyeonggi Province	15,451,755
Gangwon Province	11,559,005
North Chungcheong Province	5,141,110
South Chungcheong Province	9,944,616
North Jeolla Province	6,760,830
South Jeolla Province	8,063,538
North Gyeongsang Province	8,822,201
South Gyeongsang Province	8,479,567
Jeju Special Self-governing Province	4,732,494

Major tourist destinations

See main article: List of South Korean tourist attractions.

Seoul

See also: Shopping in Seoul. In addition, people in South Korea come to Seoul to enjoy various cultural activities.^[24] Due to the metropolitan area centralization of the cultural infrastructure, there is a cultural gap between Seoul and other regions.^[25] According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 36.4 percent of the total cultural infrastructure such as public library, museum, and art galleries are concentrated in Seoul. Therefore, many people in South Korea travel to Seoul.

• Gyeongbokgung Palace
• Changdeokgung Palace
• Deoksugung Palace
• Gwanghwamun Square
• Fortress Wall of Seoul
• 63 Building
• N Seoul Tower
• Bukchon Hanok Village
• War Memorial of Korea
• Jogyesa Temple
• National Museum of Korea
• Cheonggyecheon

The Seoul Trail is a walking trail that goes around the city.^{[26] [27]}

Busan

Busan is the second largest city in South Korea. It is located in the southeastern coast in Korea, so Busan has abundant tourist attractions such as beach and hot spring. People in South Korea visit beaches in Busan in hot summer. Also, there are various festivals in Busan. 11 festivals are held annually, including local festivals and art events. Busan sea festival is held every August and Busan International Film Festival is held every October. Jagalchi Cultural Festival is developed into a representative cultural tourism festival in Korea. Because of these various festivals and places, many people travel to Busan. Also, the influence of Social Network Service made Busan a popular tourist attraction. The official Facebook of the Busan Culture and Tourism Ministry and official blog sites promote the tourist attractions in Busan.

• Haeundae Beach
• Beomeosa Temple
• Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
• Geumjeongsanseong Fortress
• Dongnaeeupseong Fortress
• Dongnae-hyangyo Confucian Academy
• Chungnyeolsa Shrine
• Gukje Market

• Palgongsan Mountain
• Donghwasa Temple
• Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Daegu
• Dalseong Park
• Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park
• Old House of Lee Sang-hwa
• Daegu-hyanggyo Confucian Academy

• Songdo Central Park
• Jeondeungsa Temple
• Chamseongdan Altar
• Chinatown
• Wolmido Island
• Gwangseongbo Fortress

• May 18th National Cemetery
• Mudeungsan National Park
• Gwangju Folk Museum
• Gwangju National Museum
• Jeungsimsa Temple

• Hanbat Arboretum
• Yuseong Hot Springs
• Expo Park
• Daejeon Museum of Art

• Suwon — Suwon Hwaseong Fortress
• Gwangju (Gyeonggi) — Namhansanseong Fortress
• Kuri — Donggureung Tomb Cluster
• Paju — DMZ, Panmunjeom
• Yongin — Everland, Korean Folk Village, Yongin Daejanggeum Park
• Gapyeong — The Garden of Morning Calm
• Chuncheon — Legoland Korea Resort

• Sokcho — Seoraksan, Ulsanbawi, Sinheungsa Temple
• Gangneung — Ojukheon, Seongyojang, birthplace of Yul Gok, Gyeongpo Lake
• Pyeongchang — Woljeongsa, Odaesan, Daegwallyeong Stock Farm
• Donghae
• Yangyang — Naksansa Temple
• Samcheok — Samcheok Railbike, Hwanseong and Daegeum Caves, Haesindang Park, Samcheok Rose Park, Samcheok, Jeungsan, Yonghwa, Maengbang and Jangho Beaches
• Wonju — Gangwon Gamyeong, Guryongsa Temple, Park Kyung-ni Literature Park
• Jeongseon — Molundae
• Hongcheon — Suta Temple
• Goseong
• Yeongwol — Jangreung, Eorayeon, Gossigul, Kimsatgat Sites, Cheongryeongpo, Youngwol dahanu Village

Byeolmaro Observatory, Donggang Photo Museum, Bongraesan Mountain. Hanbando terrain in Soyanggang River

• Taebaek — Taebaek Mountain, Manggyeongsa Temple, Taebaek Mountains Literature Park, Hwangji Pond
• Cheolwon — Cheorwon Peace Observatory, Memorial Tower of the Baekma Goji (Korean War)
• Hoengseong — Seong Sammum's Tomb, Noeundan, Baekyasa
• Inje —
• Yanggu —
• Hwacheon —

• Boeun — Beopjusa Temple, Songnisan National Park, Samnyeonsanseong Fortress, Seon Byeong-guk House, Songnisan National Park
• Danyang — Guinsa Temple, Gosu Cave, Danyang Ondal Cave, Dodamsambong Peaks
• Cheongju — Cheongju National Museum, Cheongnamdae, Sangdangsanseong Fortress
• Jincheon — Bell Museum, Botapsa Temple

• Gongju — Tomb of King Muryeong, Gongsanseong, Magoksa Temple, Donghaksa Temple, Gapsa Temple, Seonhwadang, Gongju National Museum
• Buyeo — Buyeo National Museum (Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje), Five storied stone pagoda of Jeongnimsa Temple site, Gungnamji, Nakhwa-am, Muryangsa Temple, Baekje Royal Tombs (Neungsan-ri Ancient Tombs)
• Cheonan — The independence hall of Korea, Gakwonsa Temple
• Seosan — Rock-carved triad buddha, Haemieupseong Fortress
• Nonsan — Mireuk-bosal at Gwanchoksa Temple

• Jeonju — Jeonju Hanok Village, Jeondong Catholic Church, Gyeonggijeon Shrine, Hanji Museum, Royal Portrait Museum, Jeonju Gaeksa, Jeonjuhyanggyo Confucian School
• Namwon — Gwanghallu Pavilion, Chunhyang Theme Park, Manin Cemetery of Righteous Fighters, Silsangsa Temple, Gyoryong Sanseong Fortress
• Gochang — Gochangeupseong Fortress, Seonunsa Temple, Pansori Museum
• Iksan — Mireuksaji Pagoda,
• Gimje — Geumsansa Temple
• Gunsan — Hirotsu House, Dongguksa Temple
• Buan — Tapsa Temple, Byeonsanbando National Park

• Yeosu — Jinnamgwan Hall, Hyangiram, Yi Sun Shin Square
• Suncheon — Songgwangsa Temple, Seonamsa Temple, Nagan Eupseong Folk Village
• Mokpo — Mokpo Modern History Museum, Gatbawi Rock, Yudal Mountain
• Haenam — Ttangggut (End of the Land) Village, Mihwangsa Temple
• Gurye — Hwaeomsa Temple
• Damyang — Damyang Juknokwon, Metasequoia-lined Road, Soswaewon Garden
• Boseong — Boseong Green Tea Field Daehan Dawon
• Wando — Cheongsan island (slow city)

See also: Tourism in Gyeongju.

• Gyeongju — Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram, Anapji Pond, Gyeongju National Museum, Cheonmachong Tomb, Cheomseongdae Observatory, Yangdong Folk Village, Bunhwangsaji (Bunhwangsa Temple Site)
• Andong — Hahoe Folk Village, Hahoe Mask Museum, Dosanseowon Confucian School, Byeongsanseowon Confucian School, Wollyeongo Bridge
• Yeongju — Buseoksa Temple
• Mungyeong — Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park
• Ulleung — Dokdo Island

• Yangsan — Tongdosa Temple
• Hapcheon — Haeinsa Temple
• Tongyeong — Dongpirang Wall Painting Village
• Jinju — Jinjuseong, National Jinju Museum
• Geoje — Historic Park of Geoje POW Camp, Sinseondae
• Namhae — Gacheon Daerangi Village, Namhae German Village
• Gimhae — Tomb of King Suro, Tomb of Queen Heo Hwang-ok
• Changnyeong — Upo Wetland
• Miryang — Yeongnamnu, Pyochungsa, Eoreumgol Valley

• Mount Halla
• Cheonjeyeon and Cheonjiyeon waterfalls
• Hallim Park
• Yakcheonsa Temple
• Manjanggul
• Jeju Stone Statue Park

Events

See also: List of South Korean festivals. South Korea has hosted many international events, including the 1988 Summer Olympics, the 1993 Taejon Expo, the 2002 FIFA World Cup (jointly hosted with Japan), the 2005 APEC conference, the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit, the 2014 Asian Games, and the 2018 Winter Olympics.

See also

• Visa policy of South Korea
• Korea Tourism Organization
• Medical tourism in South Korea
• List of South Korean tourist attractions
  • Tourism in Gyeongju
  • List of museums in South Korea
  • National Treasures of South Korea
  • World Heritage Sites in South Korea
  • List of oldest restaurants in South Korea
• Seoul
  • Sports in Seoul
  • Shopping in Seoul
  • Economy of Seoul

References

0. For entering South Korea, individuals must apply ETA “K-ETA” for visiting visa free program for tourists.

Further reading

• Book: Handbook of Korea 4th ed. 2004. Korean Overseas Information Service. Hollym. Seoul. 978-1-56591-212-0 .

External links

• The Korea Tourism Organization's London office website for info on travelling from the UK to Korea
• Tour2Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization's website
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Notes and References

1. Web site: UNTWO World Tourism Barometer, vol. 5, n° 2 . UNTWO . June 2008 . 2008-10-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080819191518/http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf . 2008-08-19 .
2. Web site: International tourism, number of arrivals - Korea, Rep. . . 2020 .
3. Web site: Julius Szabo . 2023 . 30 Most Visited Countries in the World and their most visited places . govisity.com . 2024-09-23 .
4. Web site: Korea Monthly Statistics . kto.visitkorea.or.kr .
5. Web site: Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List . whc.unesco.org . . 2024-09-23 .
6. Web site: Linda Hohnholz . March 6, 2016 . Statistics Korea: Resort island of Jeju is booming . eturbonews.com . 2024-09-23 .
7. Web site: National tourism policy review Republic of Korea . oecd.org . Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . July 2002 . 2, Table 2 .
8. Web site: South Korea in hot pursuit of Indians . ttgmice.com . 14 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140228122052/http://www.ttgmice.com/article/south-korea-in-hot-pursuit-of-indians/ . 28 February 2014 .
9. Web site: 국민여행 총량 . Gross national travel amount . ko . 2016-09-23 .
10. News: 이 (Lee) . 태훈 (Taehun) . 2016-09-06 . 국내 관광 5% 늘면 1조2000억 효과 . If domestic tourism increases by 5%, its effect makes 1.2 trillion won . . ko . 2016-10-31 .
11. 2016. 2015년 12월 외래객입국·국민해외여행객 및 관광수입·지출 동향. foreign entrance·nation outbound traveler and tourism income·expense trend December 2015. 한국 관광 통계. ko.
12. Web site: OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2020 . oecd-ilibrary.org . OECD iLibrary . 4 April 2021.
13. Web site: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) . Travel & Tourism Economic Impact World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) . World Travel & Tourism Council . 4 April 2021.
14. Web site: Visitor Arrivals. Korea Tourism Organization. 2020-03-06.
15. Web site: South Korea tourism hit by China ban . 11 July 2017 . BBC .
16. Web site: Home>Tourism Statistics > key facts on tourism > Korea, Monthly Statistics of Tourism . Korea Tourism Organization.
17. Web site: 한국을 대표하는 글로벌 방송! The World On Arirang!. Foundation. The Korea International Broadcasting. Korea works to diversify its tourists by offering convenient services and special experiences : ARIRANG. en. 2020-04-11.
18. Web site: Aide's memoir tells why S. Korean president demanded apology from emperor . January 6, 2016 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303030334/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201601060005 . March 3, 2016 .
19. Web site: Foreign visitors to Japan . Japan National Tourism Organization . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160127072044/http://www.jnto.go.jp/jpn/reference/tourism_data/pdf/2013_15_tourists.pdf . 2016-01-27 .
20. Web site: Press release . Japan National Tourism Organization .
21. Web site: 2012국민여행실태조사최종보고서. Korea Tourism Organization. ko. Korean National Tourism Survey 2012. 2016-11-23.
22. Web site: 2015국민여행실태조사보고서. Korea Tourism Organization. ko. Korea National Tourism Survey 2015. 2016-11-23.
23. Web site: 2009년국민여행실태조사. Korea Tourism Organization. ko. Korea National Tourism Survey 2009. 2016-11-23.
24. News: 지역간 문화격차 '참담'. 조 (Jo). 용철 (Yongcheol). 2016-10-10. The Financial News. ko. Cultural gap between regions are big problem.
25. News: 이종배 "문화 향유기회 확대 및 문화격차 해소해야". 김(Kim). 동민(Dongmin). 2016-10-13. 충북일보(Chungbugilbo). ko. "Expand the scope of cultures and eliminate cultural gaps" Lee Jongbae.
26. Web site: About Seoul Trail . 2024-07-10 . . en-US.
27. Web site: Cho . Jung-woo . 2024-06-23 . Seoul Trail hike gives international students taste of city's greener side . 2024-07-10 . . en.