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Published 9 Sept 2026
Seoul's tourism recovery has been driven by a mix of cultural pull and medical demand. The city set an all-time monthly visitor record in July 20251, partly credited to the global reach of K-pop, while foreign medical patient numbers in Seoul neared one million for the first time in 2024.
Seoul International Tourist Arrivals by Year
Seoul's international visitor numbers have climbed back to near pre-pandemic levels. The city drew about 13.14 million international tourists in 2024, approaching but not yet matching its 2016 peak of 13.45 million, and close to the 13.37 million recorded in 2019.
- Seoul attracted 13.14 million international tourists in 2024, the city's highest total since before the pandemic.
- Compared to 8.86 million in 2023, that marks a +48% year-over-year increase.
- The first full year of COVID-19 disruption cut arrivals by −91% to just 1.19 million in 2020, followed by a further −53% to 560,000 in 2021.
- The rebound has been steep: visitor numbers rose +371% from 2021 to 2022, then a further +235% from 2022 to 2023.
- Seoul's pre-pandemic high was 13.45 million in 2016, a figure the city has not yet returned to as of 2024.
How many international visitors arrived in Seoul in 2025?
Seoul's momentum carried into 2025. July set a new record, and the cumulative January–July total runs well ahead of the same period last year.
- July 2025 saw 1.36 million international tourists arrive in Seoul, the highest single month on record.1
- The cumulative January–July 2025 total reached 8.28 million, up +16% from the same period in 2024.1
- Seoul welcomed approximately 900,000 international tourists in January 2025, edging above the city's January 2019 pre-pandemic benchmark.2
How many international tourists visit Seoul on an average day?
Daily visitor volumes tell a similar story to the annual totals. July 2025 produced the highest derived daily average in the available data, at roughly 43,900 international tourists per day.
- Seoul averaged 36,600 international tourists per day across the full year in 2019.
- That fell to 24,300 per day in 2023, reflecting a recovery still building at that point.
- By 2024, the daily average had climbed back to 35,900, closing in on the 2019 benchmark.
- January 2025 averaged 29,000 per day, a lower seasonal figure but still above January 2019.
- July 2025 averaged 43,900 per day, the highest derived daily figure in the available data.
Where are Seoul's international tourists coming from?
China led Seoul's source-market mix in July 2025, accounting for more than a third of that month's arrivals by itself.
- China sent 470,000 tourists to Seoul in July 2025, making it the top source market for the month.1
- Japan ranked second with 240,000 visitors, followed by Taiwan at 160,000.
- The United States placed fourth with 100,000 visitors.
- Together, these four markets accounted for roughly 71% of Seoul's 1.36 million July 2025 international arrivals.
Seoul's Foreign Medical Tourism Sector
Seoul has become the dominant hub for foreign medical patients in South Korea. Patient numbers have grown more than 15-fold since 2020 and are approaching the one-million mark.
- Seoul treated 999,642 foreign medical patients in 2024, close to one million for the first time.3
- That represents an 85% share of Korea's total 1.17 million foreign medical patients in 2024, up from 57% in 2020.
- Foreign medical patients in Seoul generated 2.86 trillion Korean won (KRW) in credit-card spending in 2024, of which 1.23 trillion KRW was spent on medical services specifically.
- Patient numbers have risen from 66,507 in 2020 to 999,642 in 2024, a more than 15-fold increase in four years.
| Year | Foreign Patients — Korea | Foreign Patients — Seoul | Seoul Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 117,069 | 66,507 | 57% |
| 2021 | 145,842 | 72,575 | 50% |
| 2022 | 248,110 | 146,310 | 59% |
| 2023 | 605,768 | 473,340 | 78% |
| 2024 | 1,170,467 | 999,642 | 85% |
Source · Note: Spending figures reflect credit-card transactions only and may not capture all medical tourism expenditure. All values are in Korean won (KRW).
How much tourism revenue does South Korea generate nationally?
Korea's national tourism receipts have grown steadily since 2020, reaching $164.5 billion in 2024. The country has run a tourism trade deficit throughout, spending more abroad than it earns from inbound visitors.
- Korea's tourism receipts reached $164.5 billion in 2024, up +9% from $150.7 billion in 2023.4
- Tourism expenditure that year hit $264.9 billion, leaving a trade deficit of roughly $100.4 billion.
- Receipts have grown +62% over four years, rising from $101.8 billion in 2020 to $164.5 billion in 2024.
- The deficit has widened over the same period, with expenditure rising from $133.6 billion in 2020 to $264.9 billion in 2024.
South Korea Inbound Tourist Arrivals by Year
Korea welcomed 16.37 million inbound tourists in 2024, its strongest result since before the pandemic and a +48% jump on the previous year.
- The pandemic low came in 2021, when just 0.97 million inbound tourists arrived, down −62% from 2020.
- Korea received 16.37 million inbound tourists in 2024, up +48% from 11.03 million in 2023.4
- The recovery trajectory mirrors Seoul's: +230% growth from 2021 to 2022, followed by +245% from 2022 to 2023.
- Seoul's 13.14 million international tourists in 2024 represent roughly 80% of Korea's 16.37 million inbound arrivals, though the measures differ, and the comparison is indicative of scale rather than a precise overlap.
South Korean Outbound Travel by Year
Korean outbound travel staged a near-complete recovery in 2024, with 28.69 million departures almost exactly matching the 28.71 million recorded in 2019.
- 28.69 million Koreans travelled abroad in 2024, up +26% from 22.72 million in 2023, effectively returning to pre-pandemic levels.
- The low point came in 2021, when outbound departures fell to just 1.22 million, down −71% from 2020.
- A full return to near-2019 levels within a single year marks a sharp rebound after four years of severely suppressed outbound travel.
How do Seoul's major events and attractions perform in attendance?
The Seoul Winter Festa 2024–25 drew 10.98 million attendances over the full festival run.
- Seoullo 7017, the elevated park, passed 10 million visits in its first year (2017), averaging 20,000 visitors on weekdays and 30,000 on weekends.
- Children's Grand Park reported 8.03 million attendances in 2025 (exact period not specified in official sources).
- The Seoul Light DDP festival attracted 1.92 million attendees in 2025.
- Seoul Spring Festa 2025 drew over 820,000 visitors across its 7-day run.
| Event / Venue | Year | Attendance (Millions) | Period Covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seoullo 7017 | 2017 | 10+ | Cumulative first year |
| Seoul Winter Festa | 2024–25 | 10.98 | Full festival run |
| Children's Grand Park | 2025 | 8.03 | Period unspecified |
| Seoul Light DDP | 2025 | 1.92 | Festival run |
| Seoul Spring Festa | 2025 | 0.82+ | 7-day event |
Source · Note: Attendance figures count total visits, not unique visitors. Figures include both domestic and international visitors.
References
- Record-Breaking 1.36M International Tourists Visit Seoul in July as K-pop Draws Global Fans — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr ↑ b c d
- Tourism in Seoul is Blossoming: Foreign Tourists in January Reach 102% of Pre-Pandemic Levels — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr ↑
- Seoul to Deploy 1,000 Dedicated Interpretation Coordinators for Foreign Medical Tourists — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr ↑
- Tourism Statistics: Revenue, Expenditure, Inbound Arrivals and Outbound Travel — Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism · mcst.go.kr ↑ b
- Seoul's Tourism Rebounds as January Global Visitors Surpass Pre-Pandemic Levels at 102% — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr
- SEOUL at a Glance 2023 — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr
- SEOUL at a Glance 2022 — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr
- Seoul Aims to Attract 17 Million Foreign Tourists This Year — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr
- 10 Million Visited Seoullo 7017 Since Opening — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr
- 2024 SEOULCon Draws 60,000 Visitors and 320 Million Views — Seoul Metropolitan Government · english.seoul.go.kr
- Statistics in Number (2020 Edition) — Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism · mcst.go.kr
