Foreign visitors spent an estimated 20.9 million visitor-days in Korea in August 2026 — +37.7% on August 2025 and +1.8% on July 2026. Seoul had 28.4% of them; Incheon grew fastest year on year (+81%). This page tracks where foreign visitors go in Korea, province by province, from the Korea Tourism Organization’s Tourism Data Lab. A visitor-day is one visitor in one province on one day.
Key facts — As of 2026-08-31 · Korea Tourism Organization Tourism Data Lab
- In August 2026, foreign visitors spent an estimated 20.9 million visitor-days in Korea, +37.7% on August 2025 (Korea Tourism Organization Tourism Data Lab, estimated from mobile-network data).
- Seoul had 28.4% of all foreign visitor-days in Korea in August 2026, followed by Incheon (18.8%) and Gyeonggi (12.6%).
- Among provinces with at least 1% of foreign visitor-days, Incheon grew fastest year on year in August 2026 (+81%).
- Of the 12 months to August 2026, August 2026 was the busiest for foreign visitors in Korea (20.9 million visitor-days) and February 2026 the quietest (11.9 million).
Where foreign visitors went in August 2026
Visitor-days in millions (M) or thousands (k); share is each province’s part of all foreign visitor-days in Korea that month. Gwangju and South Jeolla are shown together because the Data Lab merged them in 2026.
| Province | Aug | Share | vs Jul | vs Aug ’25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 5.93M | 28.4% | +4% | +48.5% |
| Incheon | 3.93M | 18.8% | +6.7% | +81% |
| Gyeonggi | 2.62M | 12.6% | -1.5% | +19.4% |
| Busan | 2.13M | 10.2% | +5.6% | +56.3% |
| Jeju | 1.81M | 8.7% | +4.2% | +11.5% |
| South Gyeongsang | 892k | 4.3% | -7.9% | +20.2% |
| Gwangju & South Jeolla | 809k | 3.9% | -4.1% | +1.5% |
| North Gyeongsang | 555k | 2.7% | -4.3% | +22.1% |
| South Chungcheong | 498k | 2.4% | -4.9% | +24.8% |
| North Chungcheong | 353k | 1.7% | +10.7% | +36.3% |
| North Jeolla | 318k | 1.5% | -13.7% | +44.2% |
| Gangwon | 317k | 1.5% | -18.2% | +21.9% |
| Ulsan | 270k | 1.3% | -15.5% | -16.1% |
| Daegu | 256k | 1.2% | +23% | +18.2% |
| Daejeon | 143k | 0.7% | +8.2% | +35.7% |
| Sejong | 45k | 0.2% | -0.5% | +5% |
| Korea | 20.88M | 100% | +1.8% | +37.7% |
Week by week, against a year earlier
Month by month
Growing fastest year on year (August 2026)
- Incheon +81% · 18.8% of foreign visitor-days
- Busan +56.3% · 10.2% of foreign visitor-days
- Seoul +48.5% · 28.4% of foreign visitor-days
- North Jeolla +44.2% · 1.5% of foreign visitor-days
- North Chungcheong +36.3% · 1.7% of foreign visitor-days
Busiest day of the week
Over the 12 weeks to Aug 31, 2026, Friday had the most foreign visitor-days on average and Tuesday the fewest — 5% fewer.
About the newest days: the Data Lab has also published 9 days after Aug 31. They average -29.4% against the last week of August 2026, and the fall comes in a single day (Aug 31 → Sep 1: -24.9%) — more than travel usually changes overnight. We do not know why, so this page waits for the full month before using them.
How this page works
Daily foreign visitor-days by province come from the Korea Tourism Organization’s Tourism Data Lab, which estimates them from mobile-network data (the same visitor is counted on every day they are in a province). We add them into 28-day windows, weeks and months, and compare each window with the 28 days before it and with the same weekdays 52 weeks earlier. The official data arrives about a month late, so the newest day shown is about a month old. The page is rebuilt twice a day (around 09:15 and 21:15 Korea time) and republished only when the numbers change.
FAQ
What is a "visitor-day"?
One foreign visitor present in a province on one day. The Korea Tourism Organization estimates it from mobile-network data, so a traveller who stays three days in Seoul counts three times, and one who visits Seoul and Busan on the same day counts once in each. It measures how busy places are with foreign visitors, not how many different people came — so it is not the same as the arrivals figure.
How up to date is this?
The Tourism Data Lab releases daily numbers about a month late. This page uses full months only; the latest is August 2026. It checks for new data twice a day and moves on when the next month is complete.
Where do most foreign visitors go in Korea?
Seoul — 28.4% of foreign visitor-days in August 2026. Incheon 18.8%, Gyeonggi 12.6%, Busan 10.2%, Jeju 8.7% follow.
What is the busiest month for foreign visitors?
In the 12 months to August 2026, August 2026 was the busiest and February 2026 the quietest. Compare the solid and dotted lines in the weekly chart to see how this year differs from last year.
Which day of the week is busiest?
Over the 12 weeks to Aug 31, 2026, Friday had the most foreign visitor-days in Korea on average and Tuesday the fewest.
Can these numbers change?
Yes. They are estimates, and the Data Lab can revise past days. Each time this page is rebuilt it uses the figures the Data Lab is publishing at that moment.
Source: Korea Tourism Organization Tourism Data Lab, foreign visitors by province (daily, estimated from mobile-network data). Latest full month 2026-08 · newest data day 2026-09-09 · page rebuilt 2026-10-09. “52 weeks earlier” compares the same weekdays.
How this page was made: built automatically from the official public data cited here and refreshed when the data changes; the site operator reviews the page and its sources. Last updated 2026-10-09. Editorial policy
