The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 23 said the number of foreign tourists this year will set a record high of 18.7 million. Shown are crowds in the trendy Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Seongdong-gu District. (Lee Jeongwoo)

By Lee Dasom

The number of foreign visitors this year is expected to set a record-high 18.7 million.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 23 said the number of such tourists eclipsed 18.5 million, a million more than in the previous record-breaking year of 2019, and is expected to exceed 18.7 million for 2025.

"In terms of time, this means an international tourist came to Korea every 1.68 seconds," it added.

The ministry attributed such growth to the strategic leveraging of the global popularity of Hallyu (Korean Wave) to attract visitors.

The strategy targeted China, the country that sends the most tourists to Korea, by promoting daily travel to women in their 20s and 40s, a key consumer demographic, offering incentives for group tours and promoting the learning travel market for university students.

The number of Taiwanese tourists, who were said to visit Korea due to interest in cultural marketing like food and baseball, rose 27% year on year. That of Japanese visitors is expected to hit 3.61 million, breaking the mark of 3.52 million set in 2012, thanks to strategies targeting repeat female tourists in their 20s and 30s.

In the morning, the ministry held an event to mark the record number of foreign tourists including giving a Hanbok (traditional clothing) scarf as a gift to the 18.5 millionth visitor arriving at Incheon International Airport.

A ceremony in the afternoon commemorated the 52nd Tourism Day to honor people in the tourism sector who contributed to the industry's development.

dlektha0319@korea.kr