South Korea Feb 2026: 1.24M Visitors, China at 36.3% Share

• South Korea received 1.24M international visitors in February 2026, +8.3% year-on-year — record February figures driven by two structural tailwinds.
• Lunar New Year timing: In 2026, the 9-day holiday fell February 15–23 (vs. late January in 2025), shifting a significant wave of Chinese and regional Asian travel demand into February's count.
• China boycott dividend: As Chinese tourists pulled back from Japan following diplomatic tensions, South Korea captured a portion of this diverted demand — benefiting from its geographic proximity and strong K-culture appeal.
• China led at 36.3% (449K visitors), Japan ranked #2 with 323K — together over half of all inbound traffic. Taiwan (#3) and USA (#4) add Western and Greater China depth.
• Seoul hotels should prioritise February OTA visibility on Ctrip and Trip.com ahead of Lunar New Year, and build Chinese-language concierge capacity to capture the quality-sensitive segment that would have previously gone to Japan.

South Korea welcomed 1.24M international visitors in February 2026, up +8.3% year-on-year, according to Korea Tourism Organization data — a record February figure driven by two distinct forces that are important to understand separately.

Why February 2026 Was a Record Month: Two Drivers

1. Lunar New Year Calendar Effect

February 2026's outperformance is partly a calendar timing effect: the Lunar New Year holiday in 2026 fell on January 29, placing the 9-day holiday break (February 15–23) squarely within February. In 2025, Lunar New Year fell in late January, meaning the associated travel surge appeared in January's figures.

This shift pulled a substantial wave of Chinese holiday travel demand — historically the most concentrated inbound spike of the year for Korea — from January 2025 into February 2026. Revenue managers should adjust YoY comparisons accordingly: January 2026 will show a corresponding weakness versus January 2025.

2. Japan Boycott Dividend

Beginning in late 2025, Chinese tourists significantly reduced travel to Japan following Prime Minister Takaichi's statements on Taiwan. South Korea emerged as a direct beneficiary:

• Geographically proximate to China with no visa requirement for many cities
• Strong K-culture pull (K-pop, K-drama, Korean food and cosmetics) as an independent travel motivation
• Short-haul from major Chinese cities — Incheon receives direct flights from 40+ Chinese airports
• Chinese visitor arrivals to Korea in Feb 2026 were 449K (36.3% of total) — up +8.0% YoY, a strong gain driven by a mix of genuine demand recovery and Japan-diverted traffic

February 2026 Source Market Breakdown

China led with 449K visitors (++8.0% YoY, 36.3% share). Japan ranked second with 323K (++8.0% YoY), reflecting Korea's continued attraction for Japanese tourists — driven by Korean food, beauty, and cultural content consumption — as well as easy and frequent air connectivity.

1. China: 449K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
2. Japan: 323K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
3. Taiwan: 143K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
4. USA: 114K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
5. Thailand: 68K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
6. Vietnam: 53K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
7. Hong Kong: 53K visitors (++8.0% YoY)
8. Philippines: 46K visitors (++8.0% YoY)

Southeast Asia continues to contribute strongly: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia together add nearly 219K visitors, reflecting Korea's growing appeal as a MICE and leisure destination for the region's expanding middle class.

Monthly Visitor Trend

The trend reveals Korea's clear seasonal pattern: a summer peak (July–August) running 40–50% above the February trough, with shoulder months in spring and autumn. The recent Lunar New Year calendar shift is visible in the January–February comparison — January 2026's 1.21M was softer than the 2025 January figure, with February picking up the holiday demand.

Revenue Strategy for Seoul Hotels

• Front-run Lunar New Year: OTA visibility on Ctrip, Trip.com, and Meituan needs to be established 6–8 weeks before Lunar New Year weekend — bidding on OTA sponsored placements during this window delivers outsized returns as Chinese demand concentrates around key dates
• Capture Japan-diverted Chinese demand: The Chinese visitor now choosing Seoul over Osaka or Tokyo is often a first-time Korea visitor — invest in Mandarin-language materials, UnionPay/Alipay acceptance, and Chinese social media presence (Xiaohongshu/Little Red Book) to convert one-time visitors into repeat guests
• Japan traveller LTV: Japanese visitors to Seoul are habitual repeat travellers (some visiting 3–4 times annually) — enrol them in loyalty programmes at check-in, as their high frequency makes them disproportionately valuable for direct booking conversion
• February vs. summer pricing gap: Use the February trough to run extended-stay packages and corporate rate negotiations that position the property for summer peak capture — the 40% gap between February and August ADR means even modest contract rate gains in off-season have strong full-year RevPAR impact

Data sourced from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).