SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – The Korea Tourism Organization reported that South Korea welcomed over 2 million international tourists in July 2026, maintaining travel levels above those prior to the pandemic. During that month, the country saw 2,093,223 foreign visitors, representing a 20.8% increase from 1,733,199 in July 2025. This figure also equates to 144.6% of the July 2019 count, before global travel was impacted by COVID-19.
Compared to July 2024, the total shows a 48.6% rise from the 1,408,499 foreign arrivals. The latest data indicates widespread growth among South Korea’s leading source markets for inbound tourism. China remained the top origin of visitors for the month, with approximately 777,000 arrivals. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong followed in visitor numbers.
Japan contributed roughly 330,000 tourists in July, while Taiwan brought in about 261,000. The United States accounted for around 150,000 visitors, and Hong Kong contributed about 76,000. All five markets also surpassed their July 2019 figures. Chinese arrivals grew by 49.6% compared to July 2019, Japanese arrivals increased by 20.2%, and Taiwan experienced the highest percentage jump, up 129.4% from its 2019 level.
Leading Asian Markets Drive Visitor Growth
Visitor numbers from the United States rose 54.4% compared with July 2019, with Hong Kong seeing an increase of 29.1%. The data demonstrate that South Korea’s top inbound markets have now exceeded their pre-pandemic levels. China remained the dominant source by a significant margin in July. Japan and Taiwan occupied second and third places, respectively, while the United States maintained its position as the largest outside East Asian contributor.
From January to July 2026, South Korea recorded a total of 12,803,142 foreign visitors. This seven-month total reflects a 21.3% growth compared to the same period in 2025, and it reached 129.5% of the January-July figure in 2019. During this period, China provided about 3.99 million visitors. Japan followed with 2.28 million, Taiwan contributed 1.41 million, and the United States accounted for roughly 960,000.
Seven-Month Visitor Total Hits 12.8 Million
In the first seven months of 2026, Hong Kong contributed around 420,000 tourists. The Korea Tourism Organization released the July tourism data on August 25, covering both inbound visitors and outbound travelers from South Korea. During July, outbound trips by South Koreans totaled 2,419,457, representing a slight decrease of 0.7% from the same month in 2025 when outbound travel was 2,435,291.
Between January and July, approximately 17.38 million South Koreans traveled abroad. This cumulative figure is 98.5% of the same period in 2019. The data reveal contrasting trends: inbound arrivals are now well above pre-pandemic levels, while outbound travel remains marginally below the 2019 benchmark. Additionally, South Korea’s July inbound total exceeded its figures from both 2024 and 2025 by double-digit percentages.