Korea’s tourism income shatters last year`s record in 10 months

Foreign tourists have spent a record high amount of money while traveling in Korea from January to October this year.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization on Sunday, tourism income in the first 10 months of this year posted 14.78 billion U.S. dollars, breaking the 2013 record, the previous record high of 14.52 billion dollars. The twelve-month record has been shattered in just 10 months this year.

Foreign tourists who came to Korea for the first 10 months of this year numbered more than 11.99 million, a 16 percent increase year-on-year. This owes to the year’s surge in tourists from China. Chinese tourists who visited Korea over the period surged by 39 percent to 5,620,278, and spending by each Chinese was more than 17 million dollars, the most among tourists from neighboring countries.