SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea welcomed more than 2 million foreign tourists, with inbound travel remaining above pre-pandemic figures. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the country saw a total of 2,093,223 international visitors during that month. This number reflects a 20.8% increase compared to 1,733,199 visitors in July 2025. It also represents 144.6% of the foreign arrivals recorded in July 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting international travel.
The total for July also demonstrates a 48.6% rise from the 1,408,499 foreign tourists who visited in July 2024. The latest data illustrates broad growth across South Korea’s leading inbound tourism markets. China remained the primary source of foreign visitors for the month, accounting for roughly 777,000 arrivals, followed by travelers from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
Japan contributed approximately 330,000 visitors in July, while Taiwan brought in about 261,000. Around 150,000 travelers arrived from the United States, and about 76,000 came from Hong Kong. Each of these five markets also surpassed their July 2019 levels. Chinese visitor numbers increased by 49.6% compared to July 2019, Japanese visitors rose by 20.2%, and Taiwan experienced the largest percentage growth among them, with a 129.4% increase from its 2019 level.
Leading Asian markets drive visitor growth
Compared to July 2019, arrivals from the United States grew by 54.4%, and those from Hong Kong increased by 29.1%. These figures indicate that South Korea’s top inbound tourism sources have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. In July, China remained the largest contributor by a significant margin, with Japan and Taiwan following in second and third place. The United States maintained its position as the leading non-East Asian source market.
From January through July 2026, South Korea recorded 12,803,142 foreign visitors. This seven-month total reflects a 21.3% increase compared with the same period in 2025 and reached 129.5% of the same period in 2019. China contributed around 3.99 million visitors during this span, followed by Japan with 2.28 million, Taiwan with 1.41 million, and the United States accounting for about 960,000 visitors.
Seven-month international arrivals top 12.8 million
During the first seven months of 2026, Hong Kong contributed approximately 420,000 visitors. The Korea Tourism Organization released the July tourism figures on August 25. These statistics include both inbound travelers and South Koreans traveling abroad. In July, outbound trips by South Koreans numbered 2,419,457, representing a 0.7% decrease from the same month in 2025, when outbound travel totaled 2,435,291.
Between January and July, roughly 17.38 million South Koreans traveled overseas, reaching 98.5% of the same period’s level in 2019. The July data highlights contrasting trends: inbound arrivals significantly exceeded pre-pandemic levels, while outbound travel remained slightly below the 2019 benchmark. Additionally, South Korea’s inbound visitor count in July surpassed both 2024 and 2025 figures by double-digit percentages.