SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea experienced a notable rise in international arrivals, with a total of 2,093,223 foreign visitors, marking a robust rebound in global tourism. This monthly figure reflects a 20.8% increase compared to 1,733,199 arrivals in July 2025. Furthermore, it exceeds the pre-pandemic July 2019 level by 44.6%. The Korea Tourism Organization shared these recent monthly tourism statistics on August 25.
The influx of international tourists also showed significant growth compared to the same month two years prior. In July 2024, South Korea recorded 1,408,499 overseas visitors, making the latest total 48.6% higher. China remained the primary source of inbound tourists during July 2026, with approximately 777,000 visitors from the country. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong also ranked among the top five source markets for that period.
Japan contributed roughly 330,000 foreign travelers in July, while Taiwan brought in about 261,000. The United States accounted for approximately 150,000 visitors, and Hong Kong added around 76,000. All five of these key markets surpassed their respective visitor numbers from July 2019. China experienced a 49.6% increase from that benchmark, with Japan up 20.2%, and Taiwan seeing a remarkable 129.4% rise.
Asian Countries Fuel July Tourism Increase
Visitor numbers from the United States rose by 54.4% compared to July 2019, while arrivals from Hong Kong grew by 29.1%. The data from July indicates that South Korea’s leading tourism markets have all rebounded beyond their pre-pandemic levels. China continues to lead in visitor volume, followed by Japan and Taiwan. The United States ranked fourth among the top five source markets for the month.
The overall figures for 2026 also point to strong growth in international tourism. From January through July, South Korea welcomed 12,803,142 overseas visitors, which is a 21.3% increase over the same period in 2025. This total represents 129.5% of the comparable level in 2019. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows that China contributed about 3.99 million visitors, with Japan at 2.28 million and Taiwan at 1.41 million.
Inbound Tourism Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Levels
The United States accounted for around 960,000 visitors during the first seven months of 2026. Hong Kong contributed roughly 420,000 visitors over the same timeframe. These latest figures highlight the substantial recovery of South Korea’s inbound travel volume when compared to pre-pandemic years. The July figures surpassed those of both 2024 and 2025 by double-digit percentages, with cumulative foreign arrivals remaining significantly above 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, outbound travel patterns differed during this period. Approximately 2,419,457 South Koreans traveled abroad in July, a slight decrease of 0.7% from 2,435,291 a year earlier. From January to July, about 17.38 million South Koreans went overseas. This cumulative number equates to 98.5% of the same period in 2019, indicating that outbound trips are now just below pre-pandemic levels, whereas inbound tourism remains notably higher.