Cheomseongdae Observatory in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, is one of the country's most popular tourism attractions. (Park Daejin)

By Koh Hyunjeong

The estimated 2.58 million expats in the country are considered a new method of promoting tourism in Korea.

Foreign residents who have traveled within the country are expected to serve as "ambassadors" who invite their relatives and friends from their home countries to Korea.

This is according to a survey on the tourism market for expats in Korea released on May 13. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization jointly conducted this study on 1,000 foreign residents.

Two-thirds of those polled said they were willing to invite friends or acquaintances in their homelands to visit Korea, showing their value as practical channels for attracting new tourists.

Between November 2024 and October last year, 69.1% of expats had gone on day trips and 58.8% on overnight visits. The average number of day trips per year was 3.7 and two for overnight visits, with average spending of KRW 266,000 per person.

For travel activities, the majority 85.7% picked nature and scenery, followed by food with 64.2%.

In accommodations, most respondents picked non-metropolitan areas such as Gangwon-do Province, Busan and Jeju Island and 85.9% of them planned domestic travel within a year.

The survey results are available on the official website of Korea Tourism Data Lab (https://datalab.visitkorea.or.kr).

hjkoh@korea.kr