Yanolja Research

South Korea’s inbound and outbound travel gap narrowed sharply in August. 🇰🇷✈️ Foreign arrivals reached 2.25 million, just below the 2.43 million Koreans traveling abroad. That marks a notable shift from the beginning of the year, when outbound travel was still far ahead. China was the largest source market in August, accounting for 36.9% of foreign arrivals, followed by Japan (18.6%), Taiwan (10.9%), and the U.S. (5.2%). The broader trend is also gaining momentum. Yanolja Research forecasts 23.57 million foreign visitors to South Korea in 2026, up 24.5% from 2025, with growth spreading beyond China to Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., and other markets. The key question now is how Korea can turn this growing inbound demand into higher spending, more regional travel, and repeat visits. 🔎 Read Yanolja Research Brief Vol.17 to explore what is driving Korea’s inbound growth and what could shape the rest of 2026. [Yanolja Research Brief Vol.17] Forecast of Inbound Tourist Arrivals to South Korea...

K-Medical Tourism: Turning Medical Care into High-Value Travel South Korea’s inbound tourism market is growing rapidly. Foreign arrivals reached a record 18.94 million in 2025 , while arrivals from January to July 2026 increased another 21.3% year over year . But more visitors do not automatically mean more tourism revenue. Average spending per foreign tourist fell from $1,185 in 2019 to $1,156 in 2025 . The next challenge is therefore not only attracting more visitors, but also increasing the value created by each visit. One area with strong potential is medical and wellness tourism . Medical tourists spend far beyond the hospital Korea welcomed 2.01 million foreign patients in 2025 , more than four times the pre-pandemic peak of 497,000 in 2019. Their spending is also significantly higher than that of general tourists. In 2024, average card spending per foreign patient reached KRW 3.99 million , about 2.5 times the KRW 1.60 million spent by general foreign tourists. What is especial...

Not all famous festivals are equally attractive. 🎆🌸 The NOL Korean Festival Index evaluates festivals across two separate dimensions: Awareness—how widely a festival is known and discussed—and Attractiveness—how positively visitors evaluate the festival experience. The Top 20 matrix shows that these two measures do not always move together. Some festivals rank high on both, while others are better known than they are positively evaluated—or show strong attractiveness despite relatively lower awareness. For example, Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival stands out for relatively high attractiveness, while Seoul Jazz Festival and Busan Fireworks Festival are positioned more strongly on awareness. The takeaway: being well known is not the same as being well liked. Understanding festival competitiveness requires looking at both Awareness and Attractiveness. 🔎 Explore the full festival rankings:  NOL Korean Festival Index 📘 Read the full report:  [Yanolja Research Insights Vol.46] N...

South Korea’s inbound tourism market remained strong through the first seven months of 2026. 🇰🇷✈️ From January to July, foreign visitor arrivals were higher than the same month in 2025 every month, with year-over-year growth ranging from 13.3% to 26.7%. July recorded 2.09 million visitors, the highest monthly total during the January–July period. In total, Korea welcomed 12.80 million foreign visitors from January to July 2026, up 21.3% year over year. The inbound market has grown faster and more broadly than anticipated at the beginning of the year. Reflecting this momentum, Yanolja Research revised its 2026 inbound forecast to approximately 23.57 million visitors, up 24.5% from 2025. What’s driving this stronger-than-expected growth, and what could shape Korea’s inbound market in the months ahead? Read the full brief on the Yanolja Research website for the complete analysis and forecast. [Yanolja Research Brief Vol.17] Forecast of Inbound Tourist Arrivals to South Korea in 2026

Korea’s Inbound Tourism Is Growing Faster Than Expected South Korea’s inbound tourism market is gaining momentum faster—and across more markets—than expected at the beginning of the year. Foreign visitor arrivals are now projected to reach approximately 23.57 million in 2026 , up 24.5% from 2025 . That is about 2.31 million visitors above the upper end of the initial forecast released in January . What is driving this stronger outlook? The answer goes beyond China. Rising demand from Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., and a wider range of global markets is reshaping Korea’s inbound tourism landscape. Inbound Growth Is Accelerating From January to July 2026, Korea welcomed 12.8 million foreign visitors , a 21.3% increase year-over-year . Monthly arrivals remained consistently strong, reaching 2.09 million in July , the highest monthly level during the January–July period. The growth is also becoming increasingly broad-based. China remained the largest contributor to visitor growth. Japan ...

Which destinations are travelers talking about—and loving most in Korea? 🇰🇷✨ Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations looks beyond visitor numbers. The ranking evaluates destinations using two equally weighted signals from social big data: Buzz Volume, reflecting how widely a place is talked about, and Sentiment, capturing how positively travelers respond to their experiences. Built from a near-census of tourism resources across 229 local governments nationwide, the list is designed to highlight not only Korea’s best-known attractions, but also destinations that may be highly loved even if they receive less attention. Watch the countdown to see which destinations made the Top 20. Did your favorite place make the list? 👀 🔎 Explore the full Korea’s Top 500 ranking:  Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations 📘 Read the full report for the methodology, findings, and insights:  [Yanolja Research Insights Vol.34] Korea’s Top 500 Tourist Destinations