• Site Map
  • PDF
  • Subscription
  • Register
  • LogIn
  • Site Map
  • PDF
  • Subscription
  • Register
  • LogIn
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Embassy News
  • Defense Affairs
  • Foreign Communities
  • Investigations
  • Easy Korean
  • Oddly Enough
  • Diseases & welfare
  • Labor & environment
  • Education
  • Seoul & provinces
  • Obituaries
  • Photo News
Tue, April 24, 2018 | 06:18
      • North Korea
      • Entertainment
        • Music
        • Dramas & TV shows
        • Movies
        • Performances
        • Exhibitions
        • Photo News
      • Opinion
        • Editorial
        • Columnists
          • Park Moo-jong
          • Choi Sung-jin
          • Tong Kim
          • Lee Seong-hyon
          • Andrew Salmon
          • John Burton
          • Jason Lim
          • Donald Kirk
          • Kim Ji-myung
          • Michael Breen
          • Hyon O'Brien
          • Younghoy Kim Kimaro
          • Deauwand Myers
          • Bernard Rowan
          • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
          • Stephen Costello
          • Semoon Chang
          • Korean Historical Sense
        • Reporter's Notebook
        • Guest Column
        • Thoughts of the Times
        • Letter to the Editor
        • Times Forum
        • Cartoon
        • Today in History
      • Economy
        • Policies
        • Finance
        • Economic Essay Contest
        • Photo News
      • Biz & Tech
        • Automotive
        • IT
        • Heavy industries
        • Light industries
        • Science
        • Game
        • Photo News
      • National
        • Politics
        • Foreign Affairs
        • Embassy News
        • Defense Affairs
        • Foreign Communities
        • Investigations
        • Easy Korean
        • Oddly Enough
        • Diseases & welfare
        • Labor & environment
        • Education
        • Seoul & provinces
        • Obituaries
        • Photo News
      • Culture
        • Books
        • Religions
        • Healthcare
        • Food
        • Fortune Telling
        • Hotel & Travel
        • Fashion
        • Korean Traditions
        • Trend
        • Photo News
      • Sports
        • Football
        • Baseball
        • Golf
        • Other Sports
        • 2018 PyeongChang
        • Photo News
      • World
        • SCMP
        • Asia Pacific
        • Americas
        • Europe
        • Middle East
        • Africa
      • Video
        • News
        • Feature
        • ShowBiz
      • Photos
      • Community
        • Time Forum
        • Market Place
        • Talk Box
        • Study Plaza
      • Learning English
    ---------------
    Number of foreign tourists to Seoul exceeds 10 million
    Posted : 2014-01-23 19:07
    Updated : 2014-01-23 19:07
    By Kim Da-ye

    The number of foreign visitors to Seoul exceeded 10 million last year for the first time, with Chinese being the majority, the Seoul Institute said Thursday.

    The figure for 2013 exceeds that of 2012 by 9.3 percent.

    For the first time, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Seoul has outnumbered Japanese travelers. They also spent more money on average than Japanese visitors.

    The fall in the number of Japanese visitors reflect the phenomenon of the weaker yen against the won, which makes Korean products more expensive in yen terms.

    In 2013, foreign visitors spent an average of 1.41 million won per person, nearly twice as much as the 738,000 won reported in 2007, according to the institute. Shopping accounted for the largest share of their expenditure at 543,000 won.

    The biggest spenders were the Taiwanese, who consumed averagely 1.46 million won per person, followed by the Chinese and Japanese.

    Over 70 percent of foreign visitors to Korea were here just for tourism, while 4.3 percent came here to participate in conferences and exhibitions.

    Visitors stayed an average of 5.4 days ― a little longer than the 4.8 days they stayed in 2007. More than half of them preferred sleeping at middle-low priced accommodations including business hotels, guest houses and youth hostels.

    The artsy neighborhood near Hongik University, Samcheong-dong and Sinsa-dong emerged as the most popular destinations for tourists, the survey showed. In 2007, only 6 percent hung out in the vicinity of Hongik University, and in 2013, 35 percent did.

    Traditional tourist spots including Namdaemun Market and Dongdaemun Market slightly lost their allure judging by the number of tourists who visited there last year.

    Almost half of the tourists complained about language barrier, while a fifth did not like the traffic jams and touting.

    kimdaye@koreatimes.co.kr More articles by this reporter


     
     
    • New NH chief to enhance non-banking sectors
    • Newborn baby found dead in Han River
    • Kindergarten in hot water over gender bias
    • Vietnam massacre victims testify at mock trial
    • Startup CEO resigns over 'gapjil' controversy
    • Busan registers worst dust pollution in South Korea
    • North Korea refugees find new pressures in South
    • Over 30 Chinese dead in North Korea tourist bus crash
    • Australia welcomes Korean start-up companies
    • No rush to 'settle things' at inter-Korea summit
    • In preparation for Moon-Kim summit

    • Pink Run Marathon

    • Human rights chief meets Swiss envoy

    • Wish for successful hosting

    • You can take your hands off

    • Sophia in Seoul

    • Caught a whopper!

    • 2018 Imjin Classic

    • Torch relay at 'freedom village

    • Veterans association donates $10,000 to USFK

    Missile attack on Syria
     
    • About Korea Times
    • CEO Message
    • Times History
    • Contents Distribution
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Privacy Statement
    • Ombudsman
    • Mobile Service
    • PDF Service
    • RSS Service