According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) A growing number of foreigners will visit South Korea in the next four years, driven by a sharp rise in Chinese travelers drawn by the popularity of Korean pop culture, a report showed Tuesday.

The number of inbound travelers was expected to rise an average of 2.2 percent from 2015-2020, which would amount to 80.29 million, with Chinese travelers accounting for 35.52 million, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said.

Among Asia Pacific destinations, South Korea, Japan, the Maldives and Thailand were expected to welcome the fastest growth in foreign visitors during the period, said the non-profit travel trade association based in Thailand.

South Korea was also among the countries that would see the fastest rise in a wave of outbound travelers, along with China, Thailand and India, the PATA said.

The association expected Koreans would most prefer neighboring Asian nations, including China, Japan and other Southeast Asian nations, in which to spend their holidays in the coming years.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

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