1 in 4 Japanese tourists heads to Korea as K-culture drives travel boom

Korea has cemented its place as the top overseas destination for Japanese travelers, driving a broad recovery in inbound tourism. K-beauty, food and beverage, and other cultural content have lowered the barriers to visiting, with more than one in four Japanese outbound travelers now choosing Korea.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that the cumulative number of foreign tourists who visited Korea through July reached about 12.8 million, up 21.3 percent from about 10.56 million in the same period last year. Japanese travelers were a particularly strong driver: the share of Japanese outbound travelers choosing Korea hit 28 percent through July — up 3.5 percentage points from a year earlier — marking a record high.

Foreign tourist spending also continued to climb. Card spending by foreign visitors through July totaled 12.09 trillion won, up 48.3 percent from 8.15 trillion won in the same period last year. About 2.28 million Japanese tourists visited Korea through July, up 18.8 percent from about 1.92 million a year earlier.

By comparison, total Japanese outbound travel grew only 4.1 percent over the same period, from about 7.81 million to about 8.14 million, underscoring Korea's outsized appeal relative to other destinations. At 28 percent, Korea's share of Japanese outbound travel surpassed all traditional favorites, including the United States, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

By country, China led all inbound visitors with about 3.99 million arrivals (up 27.5 percent), followed by Japan at about 2.28 million (up 18.8 percent), Taiwan at about 1.42 million (up 32.9 percent), the Americas at about 1.27 million (up 12.9 percent), Europe at about 874,000 (up 20.4 percent) and Hong Kong at about 417,000 (up 17.5 percent). Among Japanese outbound travelers, Korea ranked first, followed by the United States at about 1.07 million (up 4.0 percent), Taiwan at about 761,000 (down 0.7 percent), Thailand at about 557,000 (down 3.2 percent) and Vietnam at an estimated 498,000 (up 10.9 percent).

High fuel prices since March have also played a role, prompting airlines to shift capacity away from long-haul routes toward short-haul ones. Weekly seat supply on Korea-Japan routes stood at 349,000 as of July, up 2.4 percent from late 2025.

Targeted marketing of new routes and the development of regional airport-linked travel products by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization also contributed. Japanese arrivals through Gimhae, Jeju and Cheongju airports through July reached 269,752, 22,048 and 20,548, respectively — surging 52 percent, 60 percent and 93 percent from the same period a year earlier.

The mainstreaming of K-culture in Japan is also fueling demand. Korean restaurants and grocery stores are spreading rapidly in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, and Korean products' share of Japan's imported cosmetics market expanded from 30.8 percent in 2025 — already No. 1 — to 33.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, retaining the top spot.

The relative stability of the won against the yen has added a price advantage. From December 2025 to July, the yen's average exchange rate rose 2.2 percent against the won — well below the 4.2 percent rise against the dollar and the 4.0 percent rise against the yuan — easing the cost burden for Japanese travelers.

Kang Jeong-won, director general for tourism policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the growing number of Japanese visitors was energizing the inbound tourism market, driven by expanded airline seat supply, the popularity of K-culture and favorable exchange rate conditions. He added that a Korea-Japan tourism authorities' consultative meeting scheduled for September — marking its 40th anniversary this year — would continue discussions aimed at deepening bilateral goodwill and sustaining balanced growth in tourism exchanges between the two countries.