2025.08 Korea’s Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance in the First Half of 2025
YANOLJA RESEARCH BRIEF Korea’s Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance in the First Half of 2025 · In the first half of 2025, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea reached approximately 8.826 million, a 4.6% increase compared to the same period in 2019 (8.439 million) before the pandemic, marking an all-time high. Compared to 2024 (7.701 million), this was a 14.6% increase, showing that Korea’s inbound tourism market has not only recovered from the pandemic shock but has also entered a growth phase.
· Recovery varied significantly across regions. Asia was the slowest to rebound. Arrivals plunged from 6.914 million in the first half of 2019 to 3.136 million in 2023, making Asia the region most heavily impacted by COVID-19. However, arrivals surged to 6.039 million in 2024 and 6.918 million in 2025, slightly surpassing pre-pandemic levels. In contrast, the Americas recovered the fastest: from 654,000 in 2019 to 816,000 in 2024, and 956,000 in 2025—a 46.2% increase compared to 2019. Europe also grew by 18.8% compared to 2019, while Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa increased by 51.5%, 12.3%, and 32.7%, respectively, though their absolute numbers remain smaller.
· By country, China remained Korea’s largest inbound market. Visitor numbers dropped from 2.802 million in 2019 to 546,000 in 2023, but rebounded to 2.219 million in 2024 and further to 2.527 million in 2025, maintaining its position as the core market. Japan fell from 1.654 million in 2019 to 862,000 in 2023, but recovered to 1.432 million in 2024 and 1.619 million in 2025, nearly regaining pre-pandemic levels. Taiwan declined from 614,000 in 2019 to 402,000 in 2023, but rose to 685,000 in 2024 and 862,000 in 2025—40.4% higher than 2019. The United States (508,000 in 2019) quickly rebounded, climbing from 514,000 in 2023 to 641,000 in 2024 and 731,000 in 2025, representing a 43.7% increase from 2019.
· However, the increase in visitor numbers did not translate into a proportional rise in tourism revenue. In the first half of 2019, 8.439 million tourists generated USD 10.34 billion in tourism receipts, with an average per capita expenditure of USD 1,225. By 2023, despite arrivals falling to nearly half of 2019 levels, per capita spending surged to USD 1,589, resulting in receipts of USD 7.04 billion. In 2024, tourist arrivals recovered sharply to 7.7 million, but per capita spending plummeted to USD 964, keeping receipts at USD 7.43 billion. In 2025, despite record-high arrivals (8.826 million), per capita spending was only USD 1,012—17.4% lower than in 2019—and total receipts stood at USD 8.94 billion, 13.6% below 2019 levels. This indicates that while Korea’s inbound tourism achieved quantitative growth in visitor numbers, it faced limits in qualitative spending growth.
· The decline in receipts reflects structural changes in visitor composition and travel behavior before and afte