Gyeongju Opens Era of One Million Foreign Visitors Annually

Gyeongju Records Over 1.17 Million Foreign Visitors in the Past Year
City Eyes Leap to Global Status with Upcoming APEC Summit

The tourism industry in Gyeongju City, Gyeongbuk Province, one of South Korea's representative tourist cities, is experiencing a renaissance.

Gyeongju City announced on the 12th that the number of foreign visitors to Gyeongju exceeded 1 million, with a total of 1,179,094 visitors recorded over 12 months from December 2023 to November 2024.

The bustling scene of Hwangridan-gil in Gyeongju filled with foreigners.
[Photo by Gyeongju City]

This statistic was compiled based on data provided by the Korea Tourism Data Lab, a tourism-specialized big data analysis service operated by the Korea Tourism Organization.

Among the foreign visitors during this period, 411,986 visitors from Greater China, including China, accounted for 34.9% of the total, establishing it as a major source country.

In particular, the government is considering allowing visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists, drawing attention to whether the number of foreign visitors to Gyeongju will increase further.

By country, China led with 205,941 visitors (17.5%), followed by Taiwan with 139,371 (11.8%), Hong Kong with 41,378 (3.5%), and Singapore with 25,296 (2.1%). Visitors from North America, Europe, and Australia totaled 129,568, accounting for 11%.

In North America, 37,108 visitors (3.1%) came from the United States and 13,793 (1.2%) from Canada. The total number of visitors from these two regions was 50,901 (4.3%).

In Europe and Australia, 29,271 visitors (2.5%) came from Germany, 21,772 (1.8%) from France, 13,435 (1.1%) from the United Kingdom, and 14,189 from Australia, totaling 78,667 visitors and accounting for 6.7%. Additionally, Japan had 64,096 visitors (5.4%) and Russia 61,192 (5.2%). Turkey and the United Arab Emirates recorded 3,461 and 386 visitors, respectively.

Compared to the past when tourism in Gyeongju was dominated by visitors from the United States and Japan, this is evaluated as an indicator of the potential diversification of Gyeongju's tourism market.

In particular, Gyeongju City is determined to solidify the era of over 1 million foreign visitors and leap forward as a global city, leveraging the 2025 APEC Summit to be held from late October to early November.

The APEC Summit is an opportunity for leaders and media from major global economic powers to focus on Gyeongju, and the city's goal is to use this to promote its regional history and cultural heritage worldwide.

Mayor Ju Nak-young of Gyeongju said, "The statistic of 1 million foreign visitors in one year is a meaningful achievement that demonstrates Gyeongju's tourism competitiveness," adding, "Through the APEC Summit, we will promote Gyeongju as a world-class city and pursue new tourism strategies targeting the global market."

Meanwhile, Gyeongju City plans to strengthen its position as a global city by improving transportation and accommodation infrastructure and preparing various tourism programs centered on cultural experiences to expand the influx of foreign visitors and enhance satisfaction.