176,000 Tourists Visited Korea in May, More Than Double Compared to Last Year

On the 29th, when the Gimpo-Haneda flight route resumed operations, passengers were browsing duty-free shops at Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea last month more than doubled compared to a year ago. This is attributed to the easing of quarantine measures.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization's 'May Korea Tourism Statistics' released on the 30th, the number of tourists visiting Korea in May was 175,922, an increase of 136.3% from 74,463 in May last year.

By country of origin, the largest number of tourists came from the United States with 42,490 visitors. This was followed by the Philippines (14,119), China (11,253), Thailand (8,772), Singapore (6,772), and Indonesia (5,643).

Compared to a year ago, tourists from Japan and Taiwan increased by 163.8% and 125.2% respectively, despite ongoing entry and exit restrictions in those countries. Tourists from Hong Kong increased by 223.2% due to the easing of social distancing measures locally. Tourists from Singapore and Thailand, where entry restrictions are being relaxed, also showed noticeable increases.

On the other hand, tourists from China decreased by 20.9% as local entry and exit regulations were tightened due to the spread of COVID-19.

The number of Korean tourists departing last month was 315,945, more than four times the 75,416 recorded during the same period last year.

The increase in both inbound foreign tourists and outbound Korean tourists is largely attributed to the government's easing of quarantine measures for arrivals earlier last month.

In particular, the age limit for unvaccinated children exempt from quarantine when entering with a vaccinated guardian was raised from under 6 years old to under 12 years old, which is analyzed to have increased demand for family travel.