According to data the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) submitted to lawmaker Jeong Yeon-uk of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday, the number of foreign tourists rose 71.7 percent to 18.94 million last year, up from 11.03 million in 2023.
From January to August this year, South Korea welcomed 15.05 million foreign tourists, up 21.6 percent from the same period a year earlier.
However, the average length of stay fell to 6.5 days from 7.8 days, while average per-person spending on accommodation dropped 17.8 percent and spending at restaurants declined 16.9 percent.
Cruise tourists showed a similar pattern. Passenger numbers rose 4.5-fold in three years to 905,000, but per-person spending fell 81 percent from a decade ago. In Busan, cruise visitors spent an average of 6.7 hours ashore.
Medical tourism was heavily concentrated in Seoul last year, with 87.2 percent of foreign medical tourists visiting the capital for treatment. These visitors spend an average of 3.8 times more than other foreign tourists.
"Tourism-related tasks are divided among several government ministries. For example, the Justice Ministry handles cruise visas, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries oversees port terminals, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare is responsible for foreign medical patients, making it difficult to attract and manage tourists effectively," Jeong said, urging the KTO to assess its efforts to boost tourism based not only on the number of foreign visitors but also on how long they stay and how many return.
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