KPop Demon Hunters craze helps push South Korea’s tourist arrivals to new high
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The number of overseas tourists visiting Seoul hit a record 1.36 million in July.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – Tourism in Seoul not only bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, but also reached new highs thanks to diverse experiential programs favoured by the growing number of young travellers across the globe, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Sept 2.
The city government announced that the number of overseas tourists visiting Seoul hit a record 1.36 million in July, a 23.1 per cent increase from the 1.1 million recorded in July 2024.
It added that the record was 18.2 per cent higher than that of the same month in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chinese travellers topped the list of foreign tourists who visited Seoul in July, making up almost 35 per cent of the total with 470,000 visitors, followed by those from Japan, Taiwan and the United States.
From January to July, a total of 8.28 million overseas tourists visited Seoul, recording a 15.9 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024 – and a 5.5 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2019 – setting a new all-time high for the period.
According to the city government, the recent increase in tourists was driven by Netflix’s most-watched film of all time, KPop Demon Hunters, among Seoul’s other charms, including safe transportation, accommodation infrastructure and travel spots that blend old with new.
“The steady increase in foreign tourists visiting the city proves that Seoul offers an attractive travel experience with strong competitiveness in the global tourism market.
“We will continue to develop unique tourist content and innovative services to turn Seoul into a top travel destination,” a city government official said in a press release. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
