The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Sept. 28 released a report on inbound tourism trends from January to August saying the number of foreign visitors in the first eight months of this year reached 15.05 million. Shown are two tourists taking a selfie at the fall foliage-colored Deoksugung Palace in Seoul. (Korea.net DB)

By Lee Da Som

The number of foreign visitors this year between January and last month surpassed 15 million, while their card spending broke a record for the period.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Sept. 28 in a report said 15.05 million such tourists came in the first eight months, up 21.6% year on year, with August alone setting an all-time monthly record of 2.25 million.

Over the eight months, 27.8% of foreign travelers entered the country through provincial airports and ports, the highest level this year.

Consequently, card spending in tourism by such visitors surged 48.5% year on year to KRW 14.18 trillion, another record for the period.

Growth in the number of Taiwanese tourists was especially strong at 32.2% to 1,656,255. Arrivals from China rose 29% to 4,816,134 and those from Japan 17.5% to 2,698,857.

Among major Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines sent the largest number of visitors with 454,000, followed by Vietnam (407,000), Indonesia (295,000), Singapore (243,000), Thailand (230,000) and Malaysia (207,000). The highest growth rates were seen in Indonesia (22.5%) and the Philippines (16.1%).

"Improvements in entry procedures and targeted marketing are diversifying the countries and regions from where visitors come to Korea," the ministry said. "In anticipation of October, which is designated 'Travel Month' because of the surge in foreign visitors, we will meticulously review entry procedures including visa issuance and airport and port processing, while continuing to strengthen Korean culture-tied marketing to keep the momentum of inbound tourism going through the fourth quarter."

dlektha0319@korea.kr