SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea experienced a notable rise in international tourism, with the country welcoming 2,093,223 foreign visitors. This marks a significant recovery in global travel, with the total increasing by 20.8% compared to 1,733,199 arrivals in July 2025. The figure also surpasses the July 2019 pre-pandemic level by 44.6%. The Korea Tourism Organization announced the latest monthly tourism data on August 25.
Compared to the same month two years prior, foreign arrivals also saw a substantial jump. South Korea recorded 1,408,499 international visitors in July 2024, making the current total 48.6% higher. China remained the leading source market during July 2026, with about 777,000 visitors from there. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong rounded out the top five source countries.
Japan contributed approximately 330,000 foreign visitors in the month, with Taiwan providing roughly 261,000. The United States sent around 150,000 travelers, while Hong Kong accounted for about 76,000. All five key markets exceeded their visitor numbers from July 2019. China grew by 49.6% from that period, Japan increased by 20.2%, and Taiwan saw a 129.4% rise.
Asian Countries Propel July Tourism Growth
Visitor numbers from the United States rose 54.4% compared to July 2019, while arrivals from Hong Kong increased by 29.1%. The data for July indicates that South Korea’s leading tourism markets have all moved beyond their pre-pandemic levels. China maintains its position as the top inbound market by visitor count, followed by Japan and Taiwan. The United States ranks fourth among the five major source countries for the month.
The overall figures for January through July 2026 also point to strong growth in inbound tourism. South Korea welcomed 12,803,142 international visitors during this period, reflecting a 21.3% increase over the same months in 2025. This seven-month total reached 129.5% of the 2019 comparison. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows China contributed roughly 3.99 million visitors, with Japan providing 2.28 million, and Taiwan 1.41 million.
Inbound Tourism Remains Elevated Beyond Pre-Pandemic Levels
During the first seven months of 2026, the United States accounted for about 960,000 visitors, while Hong Kong contributed approximately 420,000. These figures highlight the continued high volume of inbound travel to South Korea compared to pre-pandemic years. July arrivals surpassed the monthly totals of 2024 and 2025 by double-digit percentages, and the total foreign visitors for the period remain well above 2019 levels.
Outbound travel, however, showed a slight decline. Around 2,419,457 South Korean nationals traveled abroad in July, representing a 0.7% decrease from 2,435,291 the previous year. From January to July, roughly 17.38 million South Koreans went overseas. This cumulative number is 98.5% of the 2019 equivalent, indicating outbound travel is marginally below pre-pandemic levels, even as inbound tourism stays notably higher.