The Korea National Tourism Organization announced that 2002 has yielded a record number of visitors for the nation. In total, 5,347,328 foreign visitors traveled to Korea in 2002, which marked a 3.9% growth rate over 2001 and the third consecutive year that Korea has received more than 5 million visitors. Further more, the amount of total visitors in 2002 reflects a half percentage point increase over traffic in 2000, which formerly held the record for highest number of visitors in a year.

Further good news for the KNTO offices in the United States is that the growth rate of traffic from the U.S. has increased at nearly double the rate of growth from all sectors. Last year American visitors to Korea totaled 459,356, which reflects a 7.6% increase over 2001 and a slight increase (.16%) over 2000, which was also a record-breaking year for the American market. The U.S. market is Korea’s third-largest inbound market, behind Japan, which sends 43.4% of Korea’s total visitors and China, which accounts for 10.1% of the market. The U.S. has long been a significant market for Korea, as American visitors tend to stay longer in Korea, and spend more money than Asian travelers.

Tourism officials attribute the increased visitation primarily to the significant media attention derived from the popular World Cup soccer championship, where the Korean Red Devils Soccer Team earned the fourth-place seat and in the process captured the hearts of millions of TV viewers. Other promotions such as Visit Korea Year 2001 and 2002 also played a part in promoting Korea as an exciting visitor destination. For more information about visitor numbers or about upcoming KNTO programs, please contact the KNTO at 800/868-7567.