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[YARI Data Snapshot] South Korea Nears an Inbound-Outbound Tourism Golden Cross

A tourism milestone may be closer than ever.



South Korea’s inbound tourism continues to surge while outbound travel growth slows, narrowing the gap to just 260,000 travelers in April 2026.


Key highlights from Yanolja Research Brief Vol.13:

📌 Record 4.74M inbound visitors in Q1 2026

📌 Tourism revenue in Q1 2026 reaches USD 5.84B

📌 Regional airports are driving faster growth than Seoul-area gateways

📌 March 2026 recorded South Korea’s first monthly tourism surplus in 11 years and 4 months


Could South Korea soon see an inbound–outbound tourism golden cross?


For a deeper analysis of Korea’s inbound and outbound tourism performance in Q1 2026, please refer to Yanolja Research Brief Vol.13.

🔗 Vol.13 Analysis of Korea's Inbound and Outbound Tourism Performance for Q1 2026

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Location: Seoul, South Korea

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