SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea recorded a total of 2,093,223 international visitors in July 2026, marking a notable rebound in global tourism. The monthly figure represented a 20.8% rise compared to 1,733,199 arrivals in July 2025. Furthermore, this number was 44.6% higher than the pre-pandemic level seen in July 2019. The Korea Tourism Organization released the latest monthly tourism statistics on August 25.
The influx of foreign travelers also showed significant growth when compared to the same month two years prior. In July 2024, South Korea welcomed 1,408,499 international visitors, making the current total 48.6% higher. China continued to be South Korea’s largest source market during July 2026, with approximately 777,000 visitors from the country. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong rounded out the top five origin countries.
Japan contributed roughly 330,000 foreign visitors during the month, while Taiwan provided about 261,000. The United States accounted for around 150,000 arrivals, and Hong Kong added approximately 76,000. All of these key markets surpassed their respective July 2019 visitor counts, with China increasing by 49.6%, Japan by 20.2%, and Taiwan experiencing a 129.4% rise.
Asian Regions Lead July’s Tourism Surge
The United States saw a 54.4% increase in visitors compared to July 2019, while arrivals from Hong Kong grew by 29.1%. The data for July indicate that South Korea’s leading tourism markets have all recovered beyond their pre-pandemic levels. China maintained its position as the largest source of visitors, followed by Japan and Taiwan, with the United States ranking fourth among the five major markets reported for the month.
Looking at the broader period of January to July 2026, South Korea experienced robust growth in inbound tourism. The country received 12,803,142 international travelers, which is a 21.3% increase from the same timeframe in 2025. This seven-month total reached 129.5% of the comparable 2019 figure. The Korea Tourism Organization revealed that China contributed roughly 3.99 million visitors, with Japan and Taiwan coming in at 2.28 million and 1.41 million respectively.
Inbound Visitor Numbers Remain Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
During the initial seven months of 2026, the United States contributed approximately 960,000 visitors, while Hong Kong added about 420,000. These latest figures emphasize the scale of South Korea’s inbound travel in comparison to pre-pandemic years. Arrivals in July exceeded both the 2024 and 2025 monthly totals by double-digit percentages, with overall foreign visitor numbers remaining well above the 2019 benchmark.
Outbound travel, however, showed a different trend in the same period. Approximately 2,419,457 South Koreans traveled abroad in July, reflecting a 0.7% decrease from 2,435,291 in the previous year. From January to July, around 17.38 million South Koreans journeyed overseas, a figure representing 98.5% of the 2019 equivalent. This indicates that outbound travel is slightly below pre-pandemic levels, even as inbound tourism remains significantly higher.