South Korea's tourism industry - statistics & facts

Before the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), South Korea was recording a new peak in the number of visitors to the country. Prior to the pandemic, the country’s tourism industry was constantly growing and highly benefitting from a global rise in interest in Korean culture. Spanning from food to beauty and fashion, Korean media, especially K-pop and K-dramas have enjoyed increasing popularity worldwide - a phenomenon described by the term hallyu, which translates to Korean wave.

Who travels to South Korea?

Most of the tourists travelling to South Korea were in their twenties. A significant share of tourists in 2021 were from Mexico. Historically, the country sees a lot of inbound tourists from nearby countries such as China and Japan, though occasional rises in political tensions cause an ebb and flow of tourism from these countries. Despite this, the industry was experiencing stable positive growth until the global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 delivered a devastating hit on the overall tourism industry.

How did the South Korean tourism industry respond to COVID-19?

Amidst the difficult framework of the pandemic, the Korean Tourism Organization began to switch their strategy towards online marketing. In cooperation with Netflix, they launched an advertising campaign that highlighted South Korean content on the streaming platform, offering users the opportunity to explore South Korea via streaming content. This pre-emptive campaign builds upon an important aspect of the South Korean tourism industry: hallyu tourism. The organization found that a portion of incoming tourists from all over the world were travelling to South Korea to experience the phenomenon at its origin. Additionally, the prevalence of hallyu helped to improve the country’s image, attracting even more tourists to choose South Korea as their next tourist destination.

How much money do tourists spend in South Korea?

Another leading reason to travel to South Korea was to experience the food. In 2019, the average tourist spent around 218 U.S. dollars on food and beverages. Before the pandemic, the average expenditure per capita was at around 1.19 thousand U.S. dollars, adding up to total tourist receipts in excess of 20.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Average expenditure has since shot up due to quarantine costs upon arrival alongside inflation, while tourist receipts have plummeted as traveling has contracted during the pandemic. Visitors to South Korea spent varying amounts of money per day during their stay, with tourists from Hong Kong leading by some margin.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Number of inbound visitors: 3.2m

Majority nationality of foreign visitors: Japan

Airport with the most domestic outbound passenger traffic: Jeju International Airport

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Reasons why tourists chose to travel to South Korea in 2022

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Reasons why tourists chose to visit South Korea in 2022

Total tourism receipts in South Korea from 2010 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Tourism receipts in South Korea 2010-2021

Average expenditure per capita of tourists from South Korea from 2011 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)

Leisure Travel

Average expenditure per capita of tourists from South Korea 2011-2021

Recommended statistics

Overview

Premium Statistic Tourism receipts in South Korea 2010-2021
Tourism receipts in South Korea 2010-2021
Total tourism receipts in South Korea from 2010 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Tourism balance South Korea 1995-2021
Tourism balance South Korea 1995-2021
Tourism balance in South Korea from 1995 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Number of tourism-related establishments South Korea 2016-2021
Number of tourism-related establishments South Korea 2016-2021
Number of establishments in the tourism industry in South Korea from 2016 to 2021 (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Number of visitor arrivals in South Korea 2000-2022
Number of visitor arrivals in South Korea 2000-2022
Number of inbound visitors to South Korea from 2000 to 2022 (in millions)
Premium Statistic Number of visitors to South Korea 2022, by age group
Number of visitors to South Korea 2022, by age group
Number of visitor arrivals to South Korea in 2022, by age group (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Reasons why tourists chose to visit South Korea in 2022
Reasons why tourists chose to visit South Korea in 2022
Reasons why tourists chose to travel to South Korea in 2022

Economic impact

Premium Statistic Absolute economic contribution of tourism in South Korea 2013-2028
Absolute economic contribution of tourism in South Korea 2013-2028
Absolute economic contribution of tourism in South Korea from 2013 to 2028 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Share of the GDP of the tourism sector in South Korea 2013-2028
Share of the GDP of the tourism sector in South Korea 2013-2028
Share of the GDP of the tourism sector in South Korea from 2013 to 2028
Premium Statistic Number travel agencies and reservation service establishments South Korea 2011-2020
Number travel agencies and reservation service establishments South Korea 2011-2020
Number of travel agencies and other establishments offering reservation services in South Korea from 2011 to 2020 (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Number of employees tourism sector South Korea 2011-2021
Number of employees tourism sector South Korea 2011-2021
Number of people employed in the tourism sector in South Korea from 2011 to 2021 (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Number of employees tourism sector South Korea 2021, by business type
Number of employees tourism sector South Korea 2021, by business type
Number of people employed in the tourism sector in South Korea in 2021, by type of business (in 1,000s)

Lodging industry

Premium Statistic Number of employees in hotels and similar establishments South Korea 2011-2020
Number of employees in hotels and similar establishments South Korea 2011-2020
Number of people employed in hotels and similar establishments in South Korea from 2011 to 2020 (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Amount of stays in lodgings during domestic travel South Korea 2022, by type
Amount of stays in lodgings during domestic travel South Korea 2022, by type
Total amount of stays in accommodations when traveling domestically in South Korea in 2022, by type of accommodation (in millions)
Premium Statistic Travel time period using domestic lodgings South Korea 2022
Travel time period using domestic lodgings South Korea 2022
Distribution of time used to travel domestically while using accommodations in South Korea in 2022
Premium Statistic Share of accommodations used during domestic travel South Korea 2022, by province
Share of accommodations used during domestic travel South Korea 2022, by province
Distribution of accommodations used during domestic travel in South Korea in 2022, by province
Premium Statistic Most preferred tourist lodgings information channels South Korea 2022
Most preferred tourist lodgings information channels South Korea 2022
Most preferred methods of finding information about tourist accommodations in South Korea in 2022

Travel expenses

Premium Statistic Average expenditure per capita of tourists in South Korea 2010-2021
Average expenditure per capita of tourists in South Korea 2010-2021
Average expenditure per capita of tourists in South Korea from 2010 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average expenditure per capita of tourists from South Korea 2011-2021
Average expenditure per capita of tourists from South Korea 2011-2021
Average expenditure per capita of tourists from South Korea from 2011 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Distribution of tourist spending South Korea 2022, by item
Distribution of tourist spending South Korea 2022, by item
Distribution of expenditure while traveling as a tourist in South Korea in 2022, by item
Premium Statistic Average travel expense of tourists to South Korea in 2022, by origin
Average travel expense of tourists to South Korea in 2022, by origin
Average travel expense per person of visitors to South Korea in 2022, by origin (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average daily travel expense of tourists to South Korea in 2022, by origin
Average daily travel expense of tourists to South Korea in 2022, by origin
Average travel expense per person per day of visitors to South Korea in 2022, by origin (in U.S. dollars)

Ongoing impact of COVID-19

Basic Statistic COVID-19: job loss in travel and tourism worldwide 2020-2021, by country
COVID-19: job loss in travel and tourism worldwide 2020-2021, by country
Employment loss in the travel and tourism industry due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in selected countries worldwide in 2020 and 2021 (in millions)
Premium Statistic Share of people planning to travel abroad this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Share of people planning to travel abroad this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Share of people who are planning to travel abroad this year despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in South Korea as of July 2022
Premium Statistic Reasons for planning to travel abroad this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Reasons for planning to travel abroad this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Reasons for planning to travel abroad this year despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in South Korea as of July 2022
Premium Statistic Reasons for not traveling abroad this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Reasons for not traveling abroad this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Reasons for not planning on traveling abroad this year despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in South Korea as of July 2022
Premium Statistic Regions to travel to this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Regions to travel to this year during COVID-19 South Korea 2022
Regions people planned to travel to this year despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in South Korea as of July 2022

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Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "Tourism industry in South Korea " and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.

Projected contribution of tourism to GDP by 2028
147tr KRW
Detailed statistics
Travel & tourism economic impact in South Korea 2011-2028
Year of lowest tourism balance
2017
Detailed statistics
Tourism balance South Korea 1995-2021
Induced contribution of tourism to employment
239k jobs
Detailed statistics
Travel & tourism employment impact in South Korea 2017, by type

Most valuable hotel brand
Lotte
Detailed statistics
Hotel brand competitiveness index in South Korea 2017
Number of hotels in Seoul
222
Detailed statistics
Number of hotels in South Korea 2019, by province
Most preferred accommodation
Hotel
Detailed statistics
Type of accommodation chosen by visitors in South Korea 2019

Most common age group
15-19yrs old
Detailed statistics
Tourists visiting for hallyu/Korean Wave experiences South Korea in 2022, by age
Share of female hallyu tourists
16.9%
Detailed statistics
Tourists visiting for hallyu/Korean Wave experiences South Korea in 2022, by gender
Favorite K-Pop group
BTS
Detailed statistics
Favorite K-pop groups among Hallyu tourists South Korea 2019
Willingness to return within three years
88.3%
Detailed statistics
Willingness of returning among Hallyu tourists South Korea 2019

Leading reason for choosing South Korea
Food or gourmet tour
Detailed statistics
Reasons why tourists chose to visit South Korea in 2022
Overall satisfaction with visit
97.2%
Detailed statistics
Overall satisfaction with trip in South Korea in 2022, by origin
Willingness to return within three years
90.5%
Detailed statistics
Tourists intending to return to South Korea in 2022, by origin
Share of solo travelers
30.8%
Detailed statistics
Tourists traveling alone in South Korea in 2019, by origin