Culture News

South Korea logs a record 4.76 million foreign visitors in Q1, with March lifted by BTS

About 4.76 million foreign visitors came to South Korea in the first three months of 2026, up 23% on a year earlier and the highest first-quarter total on record, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, as reported by The Korea Herald on April 16. March alone drew about 2.06 million visitors, up 27% from 1.61 million in March 2025, a new monthly record.

China remained the largest market with more than 1.45 million visitors (+29%), followed by Japan with 940,000 (+20.2%) and Taiwan with 540,000 (+37.7%), the fastest growth among major markets. The government has raised its 2026 target to 23 million visitors, up 21.4% from 18.94 million in 2025.

“We will continue to implement strategies outlined in the national tourism initiative to strengthen competitiveness.” — Kang Jung-won, head of the Tourism Policy Office, via The Korea Herald

Gulf News, carrying a WAM report based on Yonhap, said the jump was driven by fans travelling to a landmark BTS performance in central Seoul in March. It added figures beyond the capital: arrivals at regional airports rose nearly 50% to 850,000, and cruise calls at Jeju, Busan and Incheon rose 52.9% to 338. India's Outlook Respawn framed the quarter as a "BTS effect" and wrote that “K-culture has solidified South Korea as a top-tier destination”, while flagging rising airfares linked to geopolitical instability as a risk.

How each outlet framed it

• The Korea Herald — official figures and the 23 million target.
• Gulf News — spending, cruise ships and growth outside Seoul.
• Outlook Respawn — the K-pop and K-culture pull, plus a warning on airfares.

Where the numbers differ: Gulf News puts foreign card spending at 3.21 trillion won (US$2.18 billion); Outlook Respawn gives ₩3.2128 trillion (about $2.2 billion). The Korea Herald counts 690,000 visitors from the US and Europe, while Gulf News says the Americas and Europe.

What we don't know yet: how much of the March surge came from BTS. The Korea Herald links the record to the March 21 comeback show but does not put a number on it.