South Korea Sees 16.4% Surge in Foreign Tourist Arrivals in August

South Korea's tourism industry hit a major milestone in August, with foreign visitor numbers jumping 16.4% compared to the same month last year to reach 1.82 million tourists. More striking is how far the country has bounced back from the pandemic – August 2024 saw 114.8% more foreign visitors than August 2019, before COVID-19 shut down global travel.

The Korean Tourism Organization released these figures on Tuesday, showing the country's tourism recovery is now in full swing. For the first eight months of 2024, South Korea welcomed 12.3 million foreign tourists – a 16% increase from the same period in 2023 and 107.9% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

This surge puts South Korea ahead of many other Asian destinations still struggling to regain their pre-COVID tourist numbers. The country has benefited from the global popularity of Korean culture, known as the "Korean Wave" or Hallyu, which includes K-pop music, Korean dramas, and movies that have captured international audiences.

Meanwhile, South Koreans are also traveling more. About 2.42 million Koreans went abroad in August, up 2.7% from August 2023. From January through August, 19.4 million Koreans traveled internationally – a sign that both inbound and outbound travel are recovering strongly.

For South Korea's economy, these numbers matter. Tourism brings in foreign currency and supports jobs across hotels, restaurants, transportation, and retail sectors. The country's tourism ministry has been working to attract visitors through visa-free entry programs for many countries and marketing campaigns highlighting Korea's cultural attractions, shopping districts, and food scene.

The strong tourism rebound also reflects broader confidence in international travel returning to normal patterns after years of pandemic restrictions and quarantine requirements that kept many potential visitors away.