SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea welcomed over 2 million international visitors, continuing to outperform pre-pandemic travel figures. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the country received a total of 2,093,223 foreign travelers during the month. This number represents a 20.8% increase from 1,733,199 visitors in July 2025. Additionally, it reached 144.6% of the July 2019 count, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global mobility.
The July figure also signifies a 48.6% rise compared to the 1,408,499 foreign arrivals registered in July 2024. The latest data reveal significant growth across South Korea’s primary inbound tourism markets. China continued to be the top source of foreign visitors in the month, with approximately 777,000 arrivals, followed by travelers from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
Japan contributed roughly 330,000 tourists in July, while Taiwan accounted for about 261,000. The United States sent around 150,000 visitors, and Hong Kong contributed approximately 76,000. Notably, each of these five markets surpassed its July 2019 levels. Chinese arrivals increased by 49.6% compared to July 2019, whereas Japanese visitors grew by 20.2%. Taiwan experienced the largest percentage increase among them, rising 129.4% from its 2019 total.
Leading Asian markets drive growth in visitor numbers
Visitors from the United States grew by 54.4% compared with July 2019, while arrivals from Hong Kong increased by 29.1%. These figures indicate that South Korea’s biggest inbound tourism markets have already surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. China remained the dominant source in July by a significant margin. Japan and Taiwan occupied second and third positions, with the United States remaining the top outside-East Asian contributor.
Between January and July 2026, South Korea hosted a total of 12,803,142 foreign visitors. This seven-month total marks a 21.3% increase compared to the same period in 2025. It also reached 129.5% of the inbound volume recorded during the first seven months of 2019. China provided about 3.99 million visitors in this period, followed by Japan with 2.28 million, Taiwan with 1.41 million, and the United States with approximately 960,000.
Seven-month arrivals total over 12.8 million
During the first half of 2026, Hong Kong contributed roughly 420,000 visitors. The Korea Tourism Organization announced the July tourism statistics on August 25. These figures encompass both inbound foreign visitors and South Korean residents traveling abroad. In July, outbound trips by South Koreans reached 2,419,457, reflecting a slight 0.7% decline from July 2025 when outbound travel was 2,435,291.
From January to July, approximately 17.38 million South Koreans traveled overseas. This cumulative outbound figure is at 98.5% of the comparable level in 2019. Consequently, the data reveal divergent travel patterns—foreign visitors are well above pre-pandemic levels, whereas outbound travel remains just below the 2019 benchmark. South Korea’s inbound volume for July also outstripped its figures for 2024 and 2025 by double digits, underscoring the robust recovery in international tourism.
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