Foreign Visitor Arrivals in South Korea Peaked Six Millions in 2005

Foreign visitor arrivals in South Korea surpassed six million trekkers last year, a new record high in the history of the country´s inbound tourism.

According to local media, the new record was set on the last day of the year with the six millionth foreigner, a Chinese businessman, greeted at the Seoul International Airport with a commemoration plaque, as well as free airline tickets and a hotel voucher given by the Korean National Tourism Organization (KNTO).

“The number of visitors to the country has been on a sharp rise over the past few years, marking a 22 percent increase in 2004 to 5.82 million from a year before, thanks to a surge in the popularity of Korean pop culture among Asian nations,” reported The Seoul Times.

The official said the daily number of foreigners is expected to increase over the next few months due to soaring levels of visitors from Southeast Asian nations heading to the country´s ski resorts.