Foreign visitors from long-haul regions including the Americas, Europe, and Oceania who traveled to Korea in the first half of this year reached 2.03 million, up 15% from a year earlier.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization on the 6th, visitors by region totaled 740,000 from Europe (up 20.2%) and 1.08 million from the Americas (up 12.7%). Other regions, including Oceania and Africa, accounted for 210,000 (up 11%).
By country, the United States recorded a cumulative 810,000 visitors through June, up 11.1% from a year earlier. The United Kingdom and Germany each surpassed 100,000, with growth rates of 22.1% for the U.K. and 15.4% for Germany. France and Italy also rose 17.2% and 29%, respectively.
The expansion of direct routes also contributed to the increase in visitors. Britain's Virgin Atlantic has been operating the Incheon-London route daily since March. In the first half of this year, the Incheon-London Heathrow route operated 450 flights, up 34.7% from a year earlier. A new route to Newark in the United States will begin service in September.
The ministry and the tourism organization are selling Korea travel products on-site by leveraging performances and sporting events. A Korea tourism promotion booth linked to BTS's London concert drew about 50,000 visitors. A promotion booth operated in Mexico City during the North and Central American World Cup sold 1,480 Korea travel products and attracted 3,315 participants.
Local promotion points have been established in 10 areas across nine countries in Europe, the Americas, and Oceania that lack overseas branches. Growth rates for visitors in the first half of this year were 57% for Sweden, 33% for Poland, and 26% for Spain.
"We will strengthen local promotion linked to major international events and develop tourism products tailored to the preferences of tourists from Europe and the Americas," said Kang Jung-won, director general of the ministry's tourism policy bureau.
