Foreign residents emerge as Korea’s unexpected tourism ambassadors

“Foreign residents living in Korea are rapidly becoming a powerful new force in the country’s tourism economy, with many traveling frequently across the nation and encouraging friends and relatives abroad to visit. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday that a new survey of foreign residents found that nearly 7 in 10 respondents had taken domestic day trips over the past year, while nearly 6 in 10 had traveled overnight. The report comes as Korea’s foreign resident population reaches 2.58 million, roughly 5 percent of the country’s total population, prompting tourism officials to view expatriates, international students and migrant workers as a growing tourism market rather than simply long-term residents. The survey of 1,000 foreign residents showed that respondents averaged 3.7 day trips and two overnight trips annually between November 2024 and October 2025. Nature and food ranked among the most popular activities. About 85.7 percent said they enjoyed sightseeing focused on scenery and landscapes, while 64.2 percent said food

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