The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Aug. 6 reported 10.71 million foreign visitors in the first half of this year. Shown is the tourist-heavy Bukchon Hanok Village on Nov. 3, 2025, in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Korea.net DB)

By Oh Jung Eun

The rising number of tourists from the Americas and Europe is diversifying the domestic tourism market.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Aug. 6 said the country saw 10.71 million foreign visitors in the first half of the year.

The number of travelers from the Americas rose 12.7% year on year to 1.08 million and the figure for Europe surged 20.2% to 740,000. Due to steady growth in other markets including Oceania, the inbound tourism market is apparently getting less dependent on specific regions and globally expanding its reach.

The main reason for the increase in visitors from the Americas was the addition of direct flights. Routes were launched last year between Incheon and destinations in the U.S. such as Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle as well as those in Canada.

The British airline Virgin Atlantic in March also launched daily flights between Incheon and London, thus the number of U.K. visitors to Korea jumped 22% year on year.

Marketing using the Hallyu (Korean Wave) boom was another factor. A booth promoting tourism in Korea held in conjunction with BTS' London concert attracted around 50,000 visitors, reflecting high global interest in Korea.

Thanks to other campaigns held at hubs for promoting tourism in Korea in 12 emerging markets, the number of visitors from major European countries saw substantial growth in the first half of this year including Sweden (57%), Poland (33%) and Spain (26%).

The ministry said, "We will keep expanding the base of the inbound tourism market by boosting on-site marketing linked to large-scale global events, develop differentiated tourism products customized for the preferences of visitors from the Americas and improve convenience."

cloveroh@korea.kr