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The number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea is likely to surpass 11.1
million in 2012, the culture ministry said Monday, due mainly to the growing
influx of Chinese and Japanese tourists.
The figure represents a 13.4
percent increase from 2011. Still, it falls a bit short of South Korea's initial
goal of attracting 11.3 million foreign tourists this year.
South
Korea achieved a landmark in tourism in November by attracting 10.3 million
visitors. It was the first time that the number of foreign tourists topped 10
million in a year.
On Monday, the 11.1 millionth person was expected
to visit South Korea, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism.
The development comes as the number of Chinese and Japanese
tourists visiting South Korea has shot up in recent years.
The total
number of Chinese tourists is expected to reach 2.83 million in 2012, up 24.7
percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of Japanese tourists is
expected to increase 6.7 percent on-year to 3.51 million, according to the
ministry.
Foreign tourists' spending in South Korea increased 13.7
percent in 2012 to US$14.1 billion, though South Korea could post a trade
deficit in tourism as outbound visitors outnumbered inbound ones, according to
the ministry.
South Korea's outbound visitors spent $12.9 billion
while foreign visitors spent $12 billion in South Korea as of October, the
latest month for which data is available, according to the ministry.
The country's tourism deficit is likely to reach $1.5 billion in 2012, down from
3.1 billion from a year earlier, the ministry said.