Foreign Residents in Korea: Inbound Tourism’s Everyday Connection Network
South Korea’s inbound tourism industry has moved beyond its post-pandemic recovery phase and entered a new period of growth. According to statistics from the Korea Tourism Organization, 18,936,562 international visitors came to Korea in 2025—up 15.7% from the previous year and above the previous record of 17.5 million set in 2019.
At the same time, Korea’s foreign-resident population is growing. According to the Ministry of Justice, 2,783,247 foreign nationals were living in the country at the end of 2025, a 5.0% increase from the previous year. That figure is equivalent to roughly 5.4% of the registered population.
Foreign residents experience Korea firsthand as they go about their daily lives—using public transport, eating out, shopping, visiting cultural venues and exploring local tourism destinations. Incorporating their recommendations and feedback into inbound tourism policy could provide a level of trust and on-the-ground insight that overseas advertising alone cannot deliver.
K-Content and the Demand for Experiences Are Driving Visitor Growth
From Korean Wave Content to Real Interest in Visiting Korea
According to the 2024 International Visitor Survey by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the most common trigger for interest in Korea was encountering Korean Wave content, cited by 38.3% of respondents. Another 31.9% said they became interested after encountering Korean traditional culture.
The most popular activities among international visitors were food tourism, at 80.3%; shopping, at 80.2%; and viewing natural scenery, at 53.7%. If K-pop and Korean dramas provide the initial inspiration to travel, food, beauty, shopping, traditional culture and local experiences turn that interest into actual spending and longer stays.
Exchange Rates Help, but Content Is the Core Competitive Advantage
A weaker won can make accommodation and shopping appear relatively cheaper to travelers from some countries. But exchange rates fluctuate, and their impact varies from one market to another. The recent increase in visitors to Korea cannot therefore be explained by the won’s weakness alone.
In the 2024 International Visitor Survey, 23.7% of respondents said they became interested in Korea because it fit their planned travel budget. The higher shares citing Korean Wave content and traditional culture suggest that the long-term sustainability of inbound tourism depends more on the quality of content and experiences than on price.
Why Foreign Residents in Korea Matter
Trusted Information Shared with Family and Friends Abroad
Foreign residents in Korea have experienced daily life in the country while understanding the language and cultural context of their home markets. When family members or friends visit, they may recommend itineraries, restaurants, transport options and accommodation—or even accompany them locally.
But not every foreign resident speaks Korean fluently or wants to promote tourism. Rather than treating all foreign residents as a uniform promotional resource, policymakers should offer fair compensation and the freedom to choose to those who genuinely want to participate.
Users Who Spot Problems in Tourism Services First
Foreign residents often encounter, in their daily lives, the same problems that international visitors face: mistranslated multilingual information, failed overseas card payments, difficulties making transport reservations and a lack of allergy information on restaurant menus. Involving them as user testers before tourism products launch can help reduce service failures.
The panels should reflect a broad range of user characteristics—not only nationality, but also age, reason for residence, disability status, religion and dietary culture. The goal should go beyond simply adding an English translation and examine the entire travel journey in practice.
Building an Inbound Tourism Strategy with Foreign Residents
1. Develop Local Foreign-Resident Tourism Creators
Local governments and tourism companies can recruit interested international students, workers, marriage migrants and skilled professionals living in their areas, then support them in producing tourism content. Rather than focusing only on famous attractions, the content should provide practical information travelers need, such as how to use public transport, make reservations and order local food.
If performance is measured only by views, creators may gravitate toward sensational destinations. A more useful framework should track conversion into local visits, length of stay, number of bookings, intention to return and the accuracy of the information.
2. Turn Visits to Family and Friends into Regional Tourism
Tourism packages could be developed for family members and friends of foreign residents, combining accommodation, rail and bus travel, local festivals and cultural experiences. The resident would act as a host, while the itinerary would encourage visitors to explore areas beyond Seoul.
Products designed around people’s everyday circumstances—short weekend trips, low-intensity itineraries for those traveling with parents and child-friendly routes—are likely to be effective. Instead of expecting foreign residents to promote destinations for free, programs should offer benefits tied to successful referrals or provide activity stipends.
3. Establish Permanent Multilingual Tourism Service Review Panels
Foreign residents could regularly assess the user experience of tourist attractions, accommodation providers, transport apps and booking websites. Reviews should examine not only translation accuracy but also registration, identity verification, payment, refunds, navigation and complaint handling.
The findings will be more effective when used to support improvements rather than simply punish businesses. High-performing operators could receive certification and marketing benefits, while vulnerable businesses should be offered support for translation and digital transformation costs.
4. Build Regional Promotion Partnerships to Ease the Capital-Area Concentration
According to the 2024 International Visitor Survey, 78.4% of international visitors went to Seoul. The figures were 16.2% for Busan and 9.9% for Jeju, while visitation rates for other regions were relatively low—clear evidence that tourism remains heavily concentrated in the capital area.
Markets, walking trails, industrial heritage sites, festivals and restaurants discovered by foreign residents could be combined into multilingual local itineraries, lowering the barriers to regional tourism. Company tours linked to local industries, tourism before or after international conferences and educational travel could also be developed into longer-stay products.
Implementation Priorities to Align with Government Policy
The government announced at the National Tourism Strategy Meeting in February 2026 that it would pursue more than 20 million international visitors to Korea in 2026 and seek to bring forward the achievement of its 2030 target of 30 million. Policy initiatives included a visa-free pilot program for Indonesian group tourists, expanded multiple-entry visas for China and Southeast Asian countries, more routes from regional airports and the introduction of a foreign tourist pass.
Even if entry procedures and transport access improve, tourism spending may remain concentrated in the capital region if local destinations lack compelling content and multilingual services. The central government should provide standard guidelines and funding, while local governments and private companies work with foreign-resident communities to design regional products.
- Participation: Voluntary involvement, fair compensation, and protection of personal information and image rights
- Product development: Prioritize length of stay, local spending and return visits over visitor numbers alone
- Operations: Reflect needs related not only to nationality and language, but also age, religion and accessibility
- Verification: Regularly review the accuracy of multilingual information and the booking and payment process
- Expansion: Shift from Seoul-centered promotion toward experiences rooted in local life and culture
Sustainability Matters More Than Reaching 30 Million Visitors
International arrivals to Korea reached a record high in 2025, but simply increasing visitor numbers does not make tourism sustainable. Overall satisfaction among international visitors in 2024 stood at 96.5%, and the share of repeat visitors was 54.7%. Yet regional imbalances and problems with service accessibility still require attention.
Working with foreign residents in Korea is about more than expanding overseas promotional channels. It should be a process of testing tourism products through foreign users’ eyes, turning everyday local life into travel content and deepening mutual understanding between Korean society and foreign communities.
If the government and tourism industry treat foreign residents as equal partners in planning, inbound tourism can move beyond a temporary Korean Wave effect and become a long-term foundation for regional economic growth.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many foreign residents are living in Korea?
According to the Ministry of Justice, 2,783,247 foreign nationals were living in Korea at the end of 2025. They accounted for roughly 5.4% of the registered population. The figure includes short-term visitors as well as long-term residents, including registered foreigners and overseas Koreans with foreign citizenship.
How many international visitors came to Korea in 2025?
According to figures from the Korea Tourism Organization, 18,936,562 international visitors came to Korea in 2025. That was a 15.7% increase from the previous year and a new annual record, surpassing the 2019 total.
What is the main reason foreigners become interested in traveling to Korea?
In the 2024 International Visitor Survey, Korean Wave content was the leading trigger for interest, cited by 38.3% of respondents. Korean traditional culture, the desire to visit a new country, travel distance and travel costs were also significant factors.
How can foreign residents participate in tourism policy?
They can contribute by creating multilingual content, testing tourism services, helping design products for visits by family and friends, and identifying regional tourism routes. Participation should be voluntary and must be accompanied by fair compensation and protection of personal information.
What are the government’s targets for international visitors to Korea?
The government is pursuing more than 20 million international visitors to Korea in 2026 and plans to bring forward the achievement of its original target of 30 million visitors by 2030.
What is most important for the sustainable growth of inbound tourism?
Korea needs to improve not only ease of entry but also multilingual booking and payment systems, regional transport, accommodation quality and experiences rooted in local life and culture. It is also important to manage performance based on length of stay, local spending, satisfaction and repeat visits rather than visitor numbers alone.
