The Korea Herald

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Number of foreign visitors to S. Korea falls 23.5%

By Yonhap

Published : Oct. 29, 2017 - 14:28

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The number of foreigners visiting South Korea declined 23.5 percent to 9.94 million in the January-September period compared to a year earlier, a report by the central bank showed Sunday.

Visits by Chinese nationals plunged over 60 percent on-year, as China restricted tour programs amid a diplomatic row over the deployment of a US. missile defense system in the country, according to the Bank of Korea.

(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

In March, Beijing imposed a ban on tour packages to South Korea, which was lifted only recently.

Foreign tourists spent US$8.8 billion over the January-August period, down 23.6 percent from the previous year.

Japan, in contrast, saw the number of its foreign visitors increase 18 percent to 21.2 million in the January-September period, largely due to the weaker Japanese yen.

Japan also expanded the number of cruises and trips by budget carriers to attract more visitors, the bank added. (Yonhap)