SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In July 2026, South Korea received a total of 2,093,223 international visitors, marking a notable continuation of the sector’s robust recovery in global tourism. This monthly figure reflects a 20.8% increase compared to the 1,733,199 arrivals documented in July 2025. Furthermore, it surpasses the pre-pandemic level from July 2019 by 44.6%. The Korea Tourism Organization shared the latest monthly tourism statistics on August 25.
The number of foreign visitors also experienced a substantial rise from the same month two years prior. In July 2024, South Korea welcomed 1,408,499 international travelers, making the current total 48.6% higher. During July 2026, China remained South Korea’s primary inbound tourism source, with approximately 777,000 visitors from the country. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong rounded out the top five source markets for that month.
Japan contributed roughly 330,000 visitors in July, while Taiwan added about 261,000. The United States accounted for around 150,000, and Hong Kong supplied approximately 76,000 travelers. Every one of these leading markets exceeded their visitor totals from July 2019. Visitor numbers from China increased by 49.6% from that benchmark, Japan saw a 20.2% rise, and Taiwan experienced a remarkable 129.4% growth.
Asian countries lead July tourism increases
The data indicated that US travelers increased their visits by 54.4% compared to July 2019, while arrivals from Hong Kong went up by 29.1%. The figures demonstrate that South Korea’s most significant tourism markets have all surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. China remains the dominant source of visitors, followed by Japan and Taiwan. The United States ranked fourth among the five primary markets for that month.
Looking at the broader picture for 2026, foreign tourist arrivals have shown impressive growth. From January through July, South Korea hosted 12,803,142 international visitors, which is a 21.3% increase over the same period in 2025. The cumulative seven-month total reached 129.5% of the same timeframe in 2019, indicating a strong recovery. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows China contributed about 3.99 million visitors, with Japan and Taiwan following at 2.28 million and 1.41 million respectively.
Inbound visitor volumes remain above pre-pandemic levels
During the initial seven months of 2026, the United States contributed approximately 960,000 tourists, while Hong Kong accounted for about 420,000. These figures highlight the significant rebound in South Korea’s inbound travel compared to the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, arrivals in July exceeded both the 2024 and 2025 monthly totals by double-digit percentages, and overall foreign visitor numbers for the year remain well above 2019 levels.
Outbound travel, on the other hand, experienced a slight decline during the same period. Around 2,419,457 South Korean citizens traveled abroad in July, representing a 0.7% decrease from the 2,435,291 recorded a year earlier. From January through July, approximately 17.38 million South Koreans traveled overseas. This cumulative figure is 98.5% of the comparable period in 2019, meaning outbound travel is still marginally below pre-pandemic levels, even as inbound tourism remains significantly higher.