SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea welcomed over 2 million international tourists, with inbound arrivals remaining above pre-pandemic figures. The Korea Tourism Organization reported that the country received 2,093,223 foreign visitors during that month. This number represents a 20.8% increase from the 1,733,199 visitors recorded in July 2025 and constitutes 144.6% of the pre-pandemic July 2019 count, which was disrupted by COVID-19.
The total for July also reflects a 48.6% rise compared to the 1,408,499 foreign visitors in July 2024. The latest statistics indicate widespread growth across South Korea’s key inbound tourism markets. China remained the leading source of foreign travelers, contributing approximately 777,000 arrivals, followed by visitors from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
Japan brought in roughly 330,000 visitors in July, with Taiwan providing about 261,000. The United States accounted for approximately 150,000 arrivals, while Hong Kong contributed around 76,000 visitors. All five markets surpassed their July 2019 figures, with Chinese arrivals increasing by 49.6%, Japanese by 20.2%, and Taiwan experiencing the most significant jump of 129.4% from its 2019 level.
Leading Asian markets drive the growth in visitor numbers
Compared to July 2019, arrivals from the United States went up by 54.4%, and those from Hong Kong rose by 29.1%. These figures demonstrate that South Korea’s principal inbound tourism sources have rebounded to levels higher than before the pandemic. China maintained its position as the dominant contributor, with Japan and Taiwan ranking second and third, respectively. The United States remained the top outside East Asia source market.
Between January and July 2026, South Korea welcomed 12,803,142 foreign visitors. This seven-month total reflects a 21.3% growth compared to the same period in 2025, and it is 129.5% of the January-July figure recorded in 2019. China provided roughly 3.99 million visitors, Japan contributed 2.28 million, Taiwan accounted for 1.41 million, and the United States supplied about 960,000.
Seven-month visitor count hits 12.8 million
During the first half of 2026, Hong Kong contributed around 420,000 visitors. The Korea Tourism Organization released the July tourism statistics on August 25, including inbound foreign arrivals and outbound South Korean travelers. In July, outbound trips by South Koreans totaled 2,419,457, a slight decrease of 0.7% compared to July 2025 when outbound travel reached 2,435,291.
From January through July, approximately 17.38 million South Koreans traveled abroad, reaching 98.5% of the comparable 2019 level. These figures highlight differing trends in inbound and outbound travel patterns: foreign visitor arrivals are well above pre-pandemic levels, whereas outbound trips are marginally below the 2019 benchmark. South Korea’s inbound tourism in July also exceeded figures from both 2024 and 2025 by double-digit percentages.