According to the ministry, foreign visitors spent a cumulative 10.39 trillion won on plastic purchases during the first six months of this year, up 50.8 percent from 6.66 trillion won a year earlier, reaching the milestone about three months earlier than last year, when it was not hit until September.
Their spending in June alone rose 66.4 percent from a year earlier to 2.05 trillion won, surpassing the 2 trillion-won mark for a second consecutive month as South Korea welcomed 1.99 million foreign visitors, up 23.1 percent from a year earlier, with first-half arrivals totaling 10.71 million.
Foreign visitors are also increasingly traveling beyond the capital region. Preliminary data from Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) showed the regional visit rate rose to 34.2 percent from 31.4 percent a year earlier.
Arrivals through provincial airports also surged. In June, 395,246 foreign visitors entered South Korea through airports including Cheongju, Daegu, Gimhae, and Jeju, up 42.5 percent from 277,454 a year earlier. Over the same period, arrivals through airports in the capital region increased 18.2 percent.
"The rise in arrivals through provincial airports and increased tourist spending are encouraging signs," said Kang Jeong-won, a ministry official, adding that the ministry will continue to support efforts to boost tourism across the country.
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