Korea welcomes 3.4M tourists in Q1, industry ‘nearly fully recovered’ from Covid

Foreign travelers in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, over the weekend. [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Monday that the number of foreign travelers to Korea reached approximately 3.4 million between January and March, marking the highest figure for that period since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

March saw the highest influx, with about 1.5 million visitors arriving in Korea.

Among the 3.4 million visitors between January and March, travelers from Japan constituted the largest group. A total of 666,000 Japanese visitors arrived in Korea over the three months, with 340,000 in March alone. The culture ministry suggested that the LA Dodgers game in Seoul, featuring Japanese player Shohei Ohtani, may have contributed to the surge in Japanese visitors to Seoul.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea is expected to continue rising, with special visits anticipated during Japan's Golden Week, which began on April 27 and ends on May 6, as well as China's Labor Day, observed from May 1 to 5. The ministry projects that a total of 100,000 Japanese travelers will visit Korea by May 6.

The culture ministry stated its intention to diversify cultural content to cater to various age groups, genders and interests. It also plans to strengthen in markets such as Europe and the United States.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]