South Korea: visitor distribution by purpose 2023

According to a survey conducted among international visitors to South Korea throughout 2023, around 62 percent of stated that they were visiting for leisure or holiday activities. This is almost a return to pre-pandemic levels, with about 68 percent of visitors in 2019 having traveled to the country for the same reason.

 Tourism to South Korea 

South Korea has become an increasingly popular place for tourists in recent years. Tourist numbers grew consistently from 2003 to 2014 and peaked in 2019, at which point the yearly arrivals were more than three times that of 2003. While there has been a decrease in arrivals since then due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers have shown signs of recovery. The highest share of inbound visitors to the country come from Asia, with tourists from the Americas and Europe also making up a significant share of arrivals. Among popular motives for why the country has become such a popular travel destination, tourists stated Korean food, culture, and hallyu-related activities as some of the most important ones.

 The popularity of "hallyu"

  Hallyu, another term for the Korean Wave, has become a global success story for the country by exporting its culture worldwide. A survey found the popularity of South Korean pop music (K-pop) to be particularly high in many countries. Another successful cultural export has been Korean cuisine. Especially in other Asian countries, Korean food has become well-liked in recent years. Regarding demographics, hallyu experiences have been an important reason for visiting South Korea primarily among younger generations and female tourists.