Foreign arrivals in South Korea reached 19.97 million as of the previous day and are estimated to have since surpassed the 20-million mark, with the daily average standing at around 64,000.
It marks a major milestone for South Korea's tourism industry, which first welcomed more than 10 million foreign visitors in 2012, with arrivals reaching 11.14 million. Visitor numbers continued to rise in the following years before falling sharply during the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, tourist arrivals have gradually recovered and are now above pre-pandemic levels.
The growth in tourism is being felt across the economy. From January to September, foreign visitors spent 15.94 trillion won (US$11.5 billion) on credit-card transactions, up 47.7 percent from the same period last year.
More foreign tourists are also visiting destinations outside the capital. From January to September, about 3.24 million international visitors entered the country through regional airports including those in Busan, Cheongju, Daegu and Jeju. That was up 37.4 percent from the same period last year and accounted for 19 percent of all foreign arrivals.
The increase is largely attributed to the global popularity of Korean culture, which continues to draw international travelers to the country, according to the ministry. Eased visa requirements for some markets and strong travel demand from China, Japan and Southeast Asia have also likely contributed to the rise.
A survey of more than 27,000 people conducted late last year also highlighted the growing global influence of the Korean Wave. The findings indicated that some 65 percent of respondents had been encouraged by their exposure to Korean culture to purchase South Korean products and services, with the proportion rising steadily over the past three years.
"We will use this milestone as a springboard toward our next goal of attracting 30 million foreign visitors, while continuing to strengthen the tourism industry and infrastructure to support further growth," said Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young.
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