Foreign travelers wait to enter a Lotte Duty Free shop in central Seoul, in this June 19, 2023, file photo. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of foreign visitors to South Korea soared almost five times last month from a year earlier, partly due to a sharp increase in travelers from Japan, data showed Thursday.
In May, around 867,000 foreign nationals traveled here, up 399 percent on-year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).
By country, Japan was the No. 1 country for the sixth consecutive month, followed by China and the United States.
A total of 184,000 travelers visited South Korea from Japan, up 4,863 percent from a year ago, 128,000 came from China, up 1,039 percent, and 102,000 came from the U.S., up 140 percent.
The number of travelers from Hong Kong and Taiwan also increased 9,222 percent and 8,380 percent on-year to 29,000 and 67,000, respectively.
“Overseas trips have become more expensive for Japanese travelers due to a weak yen and a rise in airfare. … Neighboring South Korea emerged as an attractive travel spot compared with the originally preferred areas, including the U.S. and Europe,” a KTO official said.
Meanwhile, 1.68 million South Koreans traveled abroad last month, up 433 percent on-year.
(Yonhap)
