The number of foreign tourists in Korea is rising again. The photo shows Japanese tourists waiting in a line to enter the Line Friends Store in Hongdae in June. (Korea.net DB)
By Kim Eun-young and Hahm Hee-eun
The number of tourist visiting Korea, which had been lagging throughout last year, is rapidly recovering this year.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization on Nov. 22, the number of tourists visiting Korea in Oct. 2018 was 1,527,832, which is 31.1 percent more than Oct. 2017. This is more than the highest monthly average in 2016, which was 1,440,000, and close to the number of visitors in Oct. 2016, which was 1,590,000.
Notably, the number of Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and Taiwanese tourists increased by 61.7 percent, 43.9 percent, 37.6 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively.
An official of the Korea Tourism Organization explained, “Last year, the number of tourists decreased sharply due to North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile provocations. However, since the April 27 Inter-Korean Summit, the peaceful atmosphere has been continuing on the Korean Peninsula, and the tourism market is clearly recovering.”
He added, “Various cultural events related to K-pop, such as Busan One Asia Festival, are also major attractions for tourists. October is especially the month that brings a lot of tourists to Korea, because of the long Chinese national holiday.”
eykim86@korea.kr
