[Edaily Reporter Kim Una ] While the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea is increasing, their length of stay and spending have actually decreased. Experts point out that the quality of the inbound tourism market must be improved by shifting demand toward longer stays and higher spending—even if it means encouraging tourists to stay just one more day or spend just one more won.
Rep. Jeong Yeon-wook of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, urged the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to devise measures for the qualitative growth of the inbound tourism market during a parliamentary audit held on the 14th. Rep. Jeong assessed the situation, saying, “It may have grown in terms of outward appearances, but the numbers are merely flashy while the substance is lacking.”

According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of international visitors to Korea increased by 71.7%, from 11.03 million in 2023 to 18.94 million in 2025. However, the average length of stay decreased from 7.8 days to 6.5 days, and average per-person spending on lodging (down 17.8%) and dining (down 16.9%) also declined. The repeat visit rate has remained in the 54–56% range for the fourth consecutive year. While Busan has sparked a “Busan fever” among foreign tourists, the average length of stay there actually decreased from 4.2 days to 4.0 days.
Spending by cruise passengers has also fallen significantly. The average per-person spending by cruise passengers, which was $919 in 2015, dropped by 81% to just $174 in 2025. This stands in contrast to the fact that over the past three years, the number of cruise passengers has increased 4.5-fold (to 905,000) and the number of port calls has doubled. The average length of stay for cruise passengers at the Port of Busan was only 6.7 hours.
Representative Jeong pointed out, “Although cruise passengers are tourists with high purchasing power, they stayed for barely half a day,” adding, “To extend the length of stay for cruise passengers, we must address inconveniences, but I question whether we are properly addressing on-site complaints.” He also argued, “From a long-term perspective, we must elevate the Korea Tourism Organization to a full-fledged tourism agency to bring about a major transformation of the tourism industry.”
In response, Park Seong-hyeok, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “We will strive to boost spending by actively creating high-value-added demand—such as by actively attracting overnight cruises and developing integrated packages linked to the medical tourism district in Seomyeon.” He added, “We will designate spending and length of stay as tourism indicators and manage them accordingly.”