South Korea urged to prioritize tourism quality over quantity as visitor spending declines

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has been urged to focus on quality over quantity after the latest tourism data showed that visitor spending and length of stay are declining. While visitation to South Korea has surged in recent years, rising by 71.7% between 2023 and 2025 to 18.94 million and by another 21.6% to 15.05 million between January and August this year, the average length of stay has fallen from 7.8 days to 6.5 days. Similarly, average spending per person on accommodation is down 17.8%, while spending at restaurants has fallen by 16.9%.