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[Yanolja Research Brief] Vol.9 Korea’s Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance in the First Half of 2025

Want to firgure out the latest trends and performance of the tourism industry in the first half of 2025? Discover how travel patterns are shifting and what it means for the future of the market.


Inbound Travel: Record Visitors, Changing Behaviors

The first half of 2025 has been a landmark period for international arrivals, reaching an all-time high of approximately 8.826 million visitors.
  • Rapid Recoveries: Foreign arrivals to Korea hit an all-time high in the first half of 2025, exceeding both pre-pandemic 2019 and 2024 levels.
  • Core Markets: China continues to be the largest source of visitors, followed closely by Japan, Taiwan, and the United States, all of which have seen significant rebounds.
  • Shifting Behaviors: While visitor numbers are up, travelers are moving away from traditional group tours toward independent travel, which now accounts for 82.9% of visits.


Outbound Travel: Strong Rebound and Rising Expenditure

Korean travelers are heading abroad in record numbers as well, with 14.564 million outbound trips recorded in the first half of the year—nearly returning to pre-pandemic scales.
  • Destination Favorites: Japan remains the top choice for Korean travelers, with a 23.8% increase in visitors compared to 2019.
  • Experience-focused and Consumption-oriented trips: There is a growing emphasis on culinary tourism and shopping. The share of travelers citing gastronomy as a primary activity has jumped to 76.8%.
  • Spending Patterns: Although traveler numbers have normalized, total expenditure has surged to USD 14.14 billion, reflecting changes in travel habits and economic factors.


Strategic Implications for Korean Tourism

The first half of 2025 shows that Korea has moved past the recovery phase and entered a new structural stage for tourism.

Key challenges highlighted include:
  • Persistently low per capita spending by inbound visitors and the dominance of low-value, mass-oriented travel.
  • Heavy concentration of short-stay trips in Seoul and the capital region, limiting regional and experiential diversification.
  • A structurally entrenched tourism deficit driven by strong outbound demand and insufficient high-value inbound growth.


How can we address these issues?
For a deeper dive into the data and comprehensive analysis of these trends, visit our official website to read the complete report.

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Location: Seoul, South Korea

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