SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea welcomed over 2 million international visitors, maintaining a trend of travel numbers exceeding pre-pandemic figures. The Korea Tourism Organization reported that the country received 2,093,223 foreign tourists during the month. This represents a 20.8% increase compared to the 1,733,199 visitors recorded in July 2025. Moreover, it accounts for 144.6% of the visitor count in July 2019, prior to the disruptions caused by COVID-19 to global travel.
The July total also shows a 48.6% rise from the 1,408,499 foreign arrivals in July 2024. The latest data highlights significant growth across South Korea’s primary inbound tourism markets. China remained the top source of foreign visitors for the month, with around 777,000 arrivals, followed by travelers from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
Japan contributed approximately 330,000 visitors in July, with Taiwan providing about 261,000. The United States saw roughly 150,000 arrivals, and Hong Kong contributed around 76,000 visitors. All five of these markets exceeded their respective July 2019 numbers. Chinese arrivals grew by 49.6% compared to July 2019, while Japanese visitors increased by 20.2%. Notably, Taiwan experienced the highest percentage growth among these markets, rising 129.4% from its 2019 level.
Key Asian Markets Drive Visitor Growth
The number of visitors from the United States increased by 54.4% compared to July 2019, with Hong Kong arrivals up by 29.1%. These figures demonstrate that South Korea’s leading inbound tourism sources have now surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. China maintained its position as the largest contributor in July, with Japan and Taiwan ranking second and third. The United States remains the top outside-East Asia source market.
Between January and July 2026, South Korea hosted 12,803,142 foreign visitors. This seven-month total reflects a 21.3% increase over the same period in 2025 and reached 129.5% of the January-to-July figure from 2019. China accounted for about 3.99 million visitors during this period, followed by Japan with 2.28 million, Taiwan with 1.41 million, and the United States with approximately 960,000.
Seven-Month Tourist Volume Tops 12.8 Million
In the first seven months of 2026, about 420,000 visitors arrived from Hong Kong. The Korea Tourism Organization issued the July tourism data on August 25. These figures include both inbound foreign visitors and South Korean residents traveling abroad. Outbound travel in July by South Koreans reached 2,419,457, marking a 0.7% decrease compared to July 2025 when 2,435,291 traveled overseas.
From January through July, nearly 17.38 million South Koreans traveled abroad, reaching 98.5% of the same period’s 2019 level. The July statistics reveal contrasting patterns: while foreign visitor numbers significantly exceeded pre-pandemic levels, outbound travel remained slightly below 2019 figures. Inbound arrivals in July also outperformed both the 2024 and 2025 data by double digits.