China and Japan Not in the Top Spot? The Country with the Largest Increase in Foreign Tourists Visiting Korea Is 'Here'

Of the 2.92 million increase compared to 2019, Taiwan tops the list with 680,000 additional visitors
Last month set a new monthly record with 2.09 million foreign travelers to Korea
China (670,000), the United States (360,000), and Japan (350,00

The number of foreign visitors to Korea last month surpassed 2.09 million, setting a new monthly all-time record. While China and Japan remain the leading sources of inbound travelers, occupying the first and second place respectively, the picture changes when looking at newly increased tourist numbers compared to before COVID-19. The country with the biggest increase was not China, but Taiwan. The “big spenders’ map” of Korea’s inbound tourism market is shifting based on visitor volume.

Foreign tourists sightseeing at Jagalchi Market. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s "Korea Tourism Statistics for July 2026" released on August 25, there were 2,093,223 foreign visitors to Korea last month, marking a 20.8% increase from the same month last year. This is 44.6% more than July 2019, prior to COVID-19. After surpassing 2,045,992 in March, this figure has once again set a new record for the highest monthly number of inbound visitors.

By country, China accounted for the largest number with 776,639 visitors. Next were Japan with 330,385, Taiwan with 260,532, the United States with 150,449, and Hong Kong with 76,237. Compared to the same month the previous year, Taiwan showed the highest growth rate at 30.7%, followed by China at 29.0%, Hong Kong at 18.7%, the United States at 14.1%, and Japan at 10.2%.

The changes in the tourism market become even more apparent when comparing the cumulative results to pre-pandemic levels. From January to July this year, there were 12,803,142 inbound visitors, an increase of 2,915,861 compared to 9,887,281 during the same period in 2019. In other words, about 2.92 million additional visitors have come in the past seven years. Compared to the same period last year, the cumulative number of inbound visitors in 2026 also rose by 21.3%.

When comparing the Korea Tourism Organization’s country-by-country statistics to 2019, Taiwan ranked first in net increase. The number of Taiwanese tourists to Korea rose from 727,898 during January–July 2019 to 1,410,978 this year, a jump of 683,080. During the same period, Chinese visitors increased by 666,812 from 3,321,618 to 3,988,430, making China the second largest contributor to the increase.

The United States increased by 356,514 visitors from 605,909 to 962,423, while Japan rose by 351,643 from 1,928,516 to 2,281,159. The four markets—Taiwan, China, the United States, and Japan—together contributed a total increase of 2,058,049. These four countries accounted for 70.6% of the overall net increase of 2,915,861 visitors.

The market composition also changed. The proportion of Taiwanese visitors, which was 7.4% of the total in January–July 2019, increased by 3.6 percentage points to 11.0% this year. The U.S. share also rose from 6.1% to 7.5%. In contrast, although the absolute number of Chinese visitors increased, their share dropped from 33.6% to 31.2%, and Japan’s from 19.5% to 17.8%.

With the number of foreign visitors to Korea reaching a monthly record high of 2,093,223 in July, the composition of the inbound market has also changed compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. From January to July, Taiwan saw the largest increase by country with 683,080 more visitors than in 2019, and the four countries of Taiwan, China, the United States, and Japan accounted for 70.6% of the total increase. On the other hand, the level of recovery by country showed a wide gap, ranging from 229.4 in Taiwan to 57.2 in Thailand. Korea Tourism Organization

The surge from Taiwan is especially noteworthy. Last month, there were 260,532 Taiwanese visitors, 229.4% of the July 2019 figure—2.3 times higher. The cumulative January–July total is also nearly double that of 2019, at 193.8%. The Korea Tourism Organization’s Taipei office analyzed that overseas travel has become an “everyday consumption” habit for Taiwanese, as the number of outbound trips by Taiwanese reached 10 million in the first half of this year. Korean routes are also expanding, led by Taiwanese airlines such as China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux.

The U.S. market has also grown. In July, the number of American visitors was 150,449, up 54.4% from the same month in 2019. The cumulative figure from January to July was 962,423, up 58.8% from 2019. If the entire Americas, including Canada, are considered, a total of 1,274,577 visitors arrived in the first seven months of the year—a 64.2% increase compared to 2019.

However, not all markets have returned to pre-pandemic levels during this period. The number of visitors from the six major Southeast Asian countries in July was about 180,000, or 109.3% of the July 2019 figure. The gap between countries was significant: Indonesia recorded 191.5% of 2019 levels, the Philippines 162.8%, and Singapore 141.2%. In contrast, Thailand reached only 57.2%, Malaysia 78.6%, and Vietnam 91.1% of their respective pre-pandemic levels.

This divergence persisted in cumulative figures as well. From January to July this year, visitors from Thailand were 209,998, only 63.4% of the 2019 level, while Malaysia stood at 90.1%. On the other hand, Indonesia recorded 163.1%, the Philippines 142.2%, and Singapore marked 185.4%. While total inbound visitors last month increased by 44.6% compared to 2019, Taiwan and the United States expanded their market share, whereas some Southeast Asian countries experienced growth or have yet to fully recover, depending on the country.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.