SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea recorded 2,093,223 international visitors in July 2026, highlighting a robust rebound in global tourism. The total for the month marked a 20.8% rise from 1,733,199 arrivals in July 2025. Additionally, this figure is 44.6% higher than the pre-pandemic level of July 2019. The Korea Tourism Organization shared these latest monthly tourism statistics on August 25.
Compared to the same month two years prior, foreign visitor numbers also saw a significant jump. In July 2024, South Korea welcomed 1,408,499 international tourists, making the recent total 48.6% higher. During July 2026, China maintained its position as the largest inbound tourism source for South Korea, with approximately 777,000 visitors from there. The other top five source markets included Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.
Japan contributed around 330,000 tourists in July, while Taiwan provided approximately 261,000. The United States sent roughly 150,000 travelers, and Hong Kong contributed about 76,000 visitors. All five leading markets surpassed their July 2019 visitor counts, with China increasing by 49.6%, Japan by 20.2%, and Taiwan experiencing a 129.4% rise.
Asian Countries Lead the July Tourism Increase
Visitor numbers from the United States grew by 54.4% compared to July 2019, and arrivals from Hong Kong rose by 29.1%. The data for July indicates that South Korea’s primary tourism markets have all exceeded their pre-pandemic levels. China remains the top source in terms of visitor volume, followed by Japan and Taiwan, with the United States ranking fourth among the five key markets reported for the month.
The overall 2026 data also demonstrates strong growth in international travel. Between January and July, South Korea received 12,803,142 foreign visitors, a 21.3% increase from the same period in 2025. The cumulative total for these seven months reached 129.5% of the corresponding 2019 figure. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, China contributed about 3.99 million visitors, with Japan accounting for 2.28 million and Taiwan for 1.41 million.
Foreign Tourism Remains Elevated Compared to Pre-Pandemic Figures
During the first seven months of 2026, the United States contributed approximately 960,000 visitors, while Hong Kong added roughly 420,000. These recent figures underscore the significant volume of inbound travelers to South Korea, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. July arrivals alone exceeded the totals for 2024 and 2025 by double digits, and overall foreign visitor numbers remain well above those recorded in 2019.
Outbound travel during the same period showed a different trend. About 2,419,457 South Korean nationals traveled abroad in July, a decrease of 0.7% compared to 2,435,291 the previous year. From January through July, approximately 17.38 million South Koreans journeyed overseas. This cumulative figure is at 98.5% of the comparable 2019 level, indicating that outbound travel is slightly below its pre-pandemic benchmark, even as inbound tourism continues to be substantially higher.