More Foreigner Visit Korea for Shopping and Food

Published on 2019/05/12 | Source

More foreigners visited Korea last year to shop and enjoy local food. According to data released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday, around 15 million tourists visited Korea last year, a 15-percent jump from a year earlier, when China slapped a ban on group tours to Korea.

Foreign tourists stayed for an average of 7.2 days, a little longer than seven days the previous year.

Out of 16,000 visitors surveyed at international airports by the ministry, some 92.5 percent said they came to shop while 71.3 percent said they came to taste the local food. They were allowed multiple choices.

The most visited place was Seoul, followed by Gyeonggi Province, Busan, Gangwon Province and Jeju Island. Gangwon Province saw a bump in the number of visitors due to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.