SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea welcomed more than 2 million international visitors, marking a continued rise in inbound tourism that surpasses pre-pandemic figures. The Korea Tourism Organization reported that the country received 2,093,223 foreign travelers during the month, reflecting a 20.8% increase from 1,733,199 visitors in July 2025. This number also represents 144.6% of the arrivals recorded in July 2019, prior to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to global travel.
Furthermore, the July total demonstrates a 48.6% rise compared to the 1,408,499 foreign tourists recorded in July 2024, with recent data indicating widespread growth among South Korea’s main inbound tourism sources. China continued to be the largest contributor during this period, with Chinese travelers accounting for approximately 777,000 arrivals, followed by visitors from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
Japan contributed roughly 330,000 visitors in July, while Taiwan brought in about 261,000. The United States accounted for around 150,000 travelers, and approximately 76,000 visitors arrived from Hong Kong. All five markets surpassed their July 2019 figures, with Chinese arrivals increasing by 49.6% from that year, Japanese arrivals rising by 20.2%, and Taiwan experiencing the largest percentage growth at 129.4% compared to 2019.
Leading Asian markets drive tourist growth
Arrivals from the United States grew by 54.4% relative to July 2019, and Hong Kong saw an increase of 29.1%. These figures suggest that South Korea’s top inbound markets have now exceeded their pre-pandemic levels. China remained the dominant source of tourists in July, with Japan and Taiwan ranking second and third, respectively, while the United States retained its position as the largest outside East Asian source market.
From January to July 2026, South Korea hosted a total of 12,803,142 foreign visitors, a 21.3% rise compared to the same period in 2025. The seven-month total also reached 129.5% of the inbound arrivals recorded between January and July 2019. During this period, China supplied around 3.99 million visitors, followed by Japan with 2.28 million, Taiwan with 1.41 million, and the United States with about 960,000.
Seven-month foreign visitor count hits 12.8 million
In the first seven months of 2026, Hong Kong contributed approximately 420,000 travelers. The Korea Tourism Organization published the July tourism figures on August 25, which include both inbound foreign visitors and South Korean residents traveling abroad. In July, outbound travel by South Koreans reached 2,419,457, marking a slight decrease of 0.7% compared to the same month in 2025, when outbound trips totaled 2,435,291.
Between January and July, approximately 17.38 million South Koreans traveled overseas, a figure that is 98.5% of the same period in 2019. The July data reveals divergent patterns: while inbound arrivals soared well above pre-pandemic levels, outbound travel remained marginally below the 2019 benchmark. Additionally, South Korea’s inbound total for July outperformed both the 2024 and 2025 figures by double-digit percentages.