According to a multiple-choice survey, 55% of international tourists visited Seoul in 2018, followed by Gangwon (14.9%), Busan (14.7%), Gyeonggi (9.7%), and Jeju (8.5%).[4] While the total number of inbound tourists to Korea is approximately 15 million, ranking 19th in the world, the number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul[5] was approximately 11 million, ranking Seoul 11th among all cities[6] according to the “MasterCard Global Favorite Cities Index 2019”.[6] Even as global tourism recovers from the COVID-19 downturn, Seoul will remain in the top 20 cities in 2023, ranking 14th. The number of tourists visiting Korea has been steadily increasing, and in the post-COVID era, Seoul is expected to be in the top 10 to mid-20.

For reference, the average length of stay for foreigners in Seoul and Busan in 2019 was 5.3 days, similar to London (5.8 days) and Tokyo (5.4 days). Their average daily spending was $155, comparable or even equal to New York ($152) and Milan ($155).[7] Furthermore, their average length of stay in Korea in 2018 was 7.2 days, an increase from the previous year.

On May 27, 2025, Yanoljari Research published a report titled “Comparative Analysis of Tourism Products in Major Cities in Northeast Asia: A Quantitative Analysis Based on TripAdvisor Data”[8]. Busan ranked second in terms of average satisfaction among international tourists (especially from Western countries). The average score was 4.90, just 0.01 points lower than Beijing and higher than Tokyo. Despite having fewer reviews and a lower average number of reviews, Busan’s average score was particularly high. Busan recorded the highest level of satisfaction and the lowest quality deviation among the cities surveyed. Conversely, Seoul, despite having over 50% of tourist reviews and high product exposure, had a relatively low satisfaction level.