SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – The number of international visitors arriving in South Korea reached 2,093,223 in July 2026, reflecting a significant rebound in global tourism. This figure represents a 20.8% increase compared to the 1,733,199 arrivals recorded in July 2025. Furthermore, it is 44.6% higher than the pre-pandemic July 2019 level. The Korea Tourism Organization announced these latest monthly tourism statistics on August 25.
Compared to the same month two years prior, foreign arrivals also saw a notable jump. South Korea welcomed 1,408,499 international tourists in July 2024, making the current total 48.6% higher. During July 2026, China continued to be the dominant inbound tourism source, with approximately 777,000 visitors. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong rounded out the top five origin markets.
Japan accounted for roughly 330,000 visitors, while Taiwan contributed about 261,000. The United States sent approximately 150,000 travelers, and Hong Kong added around 76,000. All five leading markets surpassed their visitor counts from July 2019. China experienced a 49.6% increase from that benchmark, Japan rose by 20.2%, and Taiwan saw a 129.4% surge.
Asian markets propel July tourism increases
Visitors from the United States grew by 54.4% compared to July 2019, with Hong Kong arrivals increasing by 29.1%. The July data demonstrates that South Korea’s primary tourism markets have all surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. China remains the top source in terms of visitor volume, followed by Japan and Taiwan. The United States ranks fourth among the five major markets for the month.
The overall figures for 2026 also highlight robust growth in inbound tourism. From January to July, South Korea hosted 12,803,142 international visitors, representing a 21.3% rise from the same period in 2025. This seven-month total is 129.5% of the corresponding 2019 level. According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, China contributed roughly 3.99 million visitors, with Japan supplying 2.28 million and Taiwan 1.41 million.
Inbound tourism remains above pre-pandemic figures
During the first seven months of 2026, the United States accounted for approximately 960,000 visitors. Hong Kong’s arrivals also reached about 420,000 in the same period. These latest statistics underscore the extent of South Korea’s increased inbound travel compared to pre-pandemic years. Notably, July arrivals exceeded the monthly totals of both 2024 and 2025 by double digits, with total foreign visitors remaining well above 2019 levels.
Outbound travel, however, followed a different trend during this period. Around 2,419,457 South Korean citizens traveled abroad in July, a slight decrease of 0.7% from 2,435,291 the previous year. From January to July, roughly 17.38 million South Koreans went overseas. This cumulative figure is 98.5% of the corresponding 2019 amount, indicating that outbound travel has dipped just below its pre-pandemic level, while inbound tourism continues to be significantly higher.