Domestic and foreign residents total 2.58 million, playing a crucial role as a 'new bridge' for Korean tourism... Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization conduct survey

*This content was translated by AI.

Foreign residents living in Korea are found to travel domestically quite frequently. These foreigners often invite acquaintances to visit Korea, playing a significant role in increasing the number of tourists visiting the country.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (hereinafter "the Organization") released a report titled "Survey on the Tourism Market of Foreigners in Korea" on the 13th, detailing the travel status of foreigners residing in the country. This survey was planned to focus on the approximately 2.58 million foreigners in Korea, representing about 5% of the nation's population, as a new tourism demand segment, and to utilize systematic analysis to incorporate them into tourism activation strategies.

A survey of 1,000 foreign residents in Korea revealed that the experience rate of day trips among foreigners in Korea over the past year (November 2024 to October 2025) was 69.1%, while the experience rate for overnight trips was 58.8%. Additionally, they were found to take an average of 3.7 day trips and 2 overnight trips per year. Among travel activities, the proportions of enjoying 'nature and scenery (85.7%)' and 'food (64.2%)' were high, and 93.8% chose independent travel, indicating a strong tendency toward self-directed travel. Furthermore, the average travel expenditure per person was 266,000 won, confirming their substantial contribution to the domestic economy through actual consumption.

Differences were also confirmed based on residency status. Professional employees had the highest overnight trip experience rate (74.0%) and average frequency (3.11 times), while international students showed the highest day trip experience rate at 79.1%. By region, for day trips, the proportion was highest in Gyeonggi (36.0%), Seoul (30.8%), Busan (22.7%), Gangwon (22.0%), and Incheon (16.6%), with the capital region holding a large share. In contrast, for overnight trips, the proportion was higher in non-capital regions, including Gangwon (27.7%), Busan (27.4%), Jeju (20.8%), Seoul (16.1%), and Gyeonggi (11.8%).

Future travel intentions were also found to be high. 85.9% of foreigners in Korea responded that they plan to travel domestically within the next year, with an average planned frequency of 4 trips per year. Additionally, 66.3% indicated willingness to invite friends or acquaintances from their home countries to visit Korea, confirming the potential to attract new tourists through foreigners residing in Korea.

Kim Seung-eun, Director of the Tourism AI Data Division at the Organization, stated, "Foreigners in Korea represent a massive domestic travel demand segment and, at the same time, serve as ambassadors conveying Korea's charm to the world." She added, "Based on the results of this survey, we will enhance the development of region-specific tourism content tailored to foreign residents and advance linked marketing efforts."

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*This content was translated by AI.