[Exclusive] Korea Tourism Makes History... Foreign Tourist Arrivals Top 20 Million for First Time

Doubling tourist numbers in 14 years

Record-high visitor numbers for second consecutive year

Milestone event at Incheon Airport on November 17

Growing tourism revenue and achieving qualitative growth remain challenges

The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea has surpassed 20 million for the first time. This marks a new all-time high for the second consecutive year, following last year. Fourteen years after Korea welcomed 10 million international tourists in a single year for the first time in 2012, the number of visitors has doubled. The Korean tourism industry is now preparing for a new leap toward the era of 30 million visitors.

Foreign Tourists Making Memories in Myeongdong. Yonhap News.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and tourism industry sources on Nov. 12, the cumulative number of foreign tourists visiting Korea this year surpassed 20 million that day. The total had reached 18.91 million as of Oct. 26, and with an average of about 65,000 foreign visitors entering the country each day recently, the milestone was reached earlier than initially expected, in the third week of this month. The ministry is coordinating the timing of an official announcement with relevant agencies.

The government plans to hold a ceremony at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 17 to mark the milestone, highlighting the record number of tourists attracted and the competitiveness and growth potential of Korean tourism at home and abroad.

Korea's inbound tourism market has maintained rapid growth since the beginning of the year. The cumulative number of foreign tourists from January through September reached 17.11 million, up 21.5% from the same period a year earlier. The total was also estimated to have surpassed last year's annual record of 18.94 million on Oct. 27. The number continued to rise thereafter, culminating in the 20-million milestone.

This record is also significant because it marks the achievement, 14 years later, of the government's 2012 target of attracting 20 million international tourists. At the time, the government set a mid- to long-term goal after annual arrivals surpassed 10 million, but growth stalled for a while as the spread of COVID-19 brought international tourism to a virtual halt. The long-standing goal has now been achieved as the international tourism market has recovered and demand for visits to Korea has rebounded.

In 2012, the number of international tourists visiting Korea surpassed 10 million for the first time. Fourteen years later, in 2026, it topped 20 million. After climbing to 17.5 million in 2019, arrivals plunged to 970,000 in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They have since continued to recover, reaching a record 18.94 million in 2025. Korea Tourism Organization and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The government plans to make attracting 30 million international tourists its next goal and work to expand demand for visits to Korea and strengthen the competitiveness of the tourism industry. However, boosting tourism revenue and visitor spending in line with the increase in tourist numbers remains a challenge. This is why qualitative growth, through longer stays and higher tourism spending, has become as important as quantitative growth in visitor numbers.

Kang Jisu, an associate research fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, said, "Tourism revenue per person is also improving alongside the increase in visitors to Korea." She added, "With the 20-million milestone, we need to ensure that the increase in tourist numbers leads to a tangible rise in spending and growth in the domestic tourism industry."

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