According to Yonhap News,
(SEOUL=Yonhap News) The number of Chinese visitors to South Korea rose 14.2 percent in May from a year ago as more group incentive travelers visited the nation, the state-run tourism agency said Wednesday.
A total of 705,844 Chinese nationals visited South Korea last month, helped by a rising influx of travelers during extended holidays and big group tours arranged by Chinese companies, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said.
The yearly surge also came as Chinese inbound travelers sharply dropped in the wake of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in late May 2015.
In contrast, the number of Japanese visitors to South Korea fell 5.1 percent on-year to 178,735 as they preferred other Asian neighbors, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, for travel destinations. The rising number of Korean travelers to Japan also led to shortage of airline tickets, the KTO said.
Among Southeast Asian nations, travelers from Malaysia jumped 43.5 percent in May from a year earlier thanks to increased demand during summer vacation.
Meanwhile, the number of outbound travelers from South Korea in May gained 4.9 percent to 1.65 million, it said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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Source: Yonhap News (Jun. 22, 2016)