The number of outbound travelers hit a record high last month as cheaper airfare and the strong local currency encouraged more Koreans to head abroad, the state-run tourism agency said Tuesday.
A total of 1.83 million Koreans traveled overseas in January, up 24.9 percent from a year ago, the Korea Tourism Organization said.
The sharp rise in outbound tourists was attributable to the strong Korean won against its global peers and a cut in fuel surcharges in line with the plunge in oil prices.
Travelers in their 40s accounted for the largest age group, followed by those in their 30s and 50s, the KTO said.
The 1.83 million Koreans are about twice the number of foreigners who visited the nation last month, with inbound travelers increasing 8.8 percent on-year to 916,054, the agency said.
Chinese tourists jumped 32.9 percent to 394,345, while Japanese tourists declined 18.9 percent to 139,632 due to the strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo and the weak Japanese yen, it said.
“As the Korean won remains strong and the fuel surcharge is cheap, there will be more Koreans who opt to travel overseas,” a KTO official said. (Yonhap)
