South Korea is the fastest-growing tourism destination on the planet, but it comes at a cost

Polly Faber had never intended to visit the Land of Morning Calm.

“I had some interest in holidaying in Japan one day,” she told The Telegraph, “but none in South Korea.”

However, while trying to occupy her mind during the first lockdown of the Covid pandemic, she came across the Korean drama Crash Landing on You – and was soon hooked. Over the next six months, she watched at least 30 more K-dramas – “over 500 hours of telly,” by her own admission – some of them several times through.

This London-based children’s book author and mother of two quickly became not just a fan of Korean pop music and TV shows, but of the culture as a whole. She filled her kitchen with kimchi and packets of spicy ramen, joined online fan groups and even began studying the language on a mobile app.

Two and a half years later, this led her to make the pilgrimage to South Korea, where she spent three weeks backpacking around the country, visiting shooting locations featured in K-dramas and immersing herself in the food and buzzing atmosphere that make it such a thrilling destination.

But this is far from simply a quirky story of one woman’s love affair with a far-flung land – Faber is not alone.

Tourism in Korea is booming: the country welcomed more than 16 million visitors in 2024, a 48.4 per cent increase on the previous year and the biggest jump recorded anywhere in the world.

“We saw a big spike in interest for Korea in 2024, and have seen continued interest through 2025,” says James Mundy, PR and partnership manager for the Bristol-based tour company InsideAsia.

“South Korea is InsideAsia’s fastest-growing destination.”

So, what’s behind this sudden obsession with South Korea?

Much of it can be attributed to the country’s hugely popular cultural exports, known as the “Korean wave” or hallyu, which are eagerly consumed around the world.

“K-culture is definitely more on the radar these days,” says Mundy. “I think that gives people a glimpse of what the country offers, and that drives a desire to travel and experience it for themselves.”

For proof, look no further than the smash hit KPop Demon Hunters, now the most-watched film in Netflix’s history. According to booking site Trip.com, since the viral movie premiered in June there has been a huge spike in flight sales to South Korea, showing how fandom can directly influence travel trends.

South Korea is certainly enjoying its moment in the sun as a travel destination, but it hasn’t always been this way. While this year the country is on track to welcome up to 20 million visitors, back in 2005 there were just six million – and the tourism landscape looked very different.

“Twenty years ago, Korea was set up for old tourism models: group tours on buses to see sites and shop at a local ginseng market,” Seoul-based food writer and tour operator Joe McPherson tells The Telegraph.

“The majority of inbound tourists were Japanese businessmen and housewives, usually coming in separate groups for separate reasons.

“Today, we have a greater variety of tours and experiences – food tours, dark tours, calligraphy classes, K-pop dance video experiences, Korean drama and film tours, and other ways to experience Korea however one wishes.”

While the lion’s share of visitors head straight to South Korea’s buzzing capital, Seoul, many also venture further, soaking up the atmosphere in destinations such as Gyeongju (the historic capital of the Silla Kingdom), the southeastern city of Busan (famous for its seafood and beaches), Jeonju (a culinary hub), and the semi-tropical, geographically stunning Jeju Island.

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They may, for example, choose to explore the tombs and temples of Gyeongju, don a hanbok while staying in traditional hanok houses in Jeonju, eat sashimi and drink soju in a Busan fish market or climb Hallasan, the extinct volcano that stands like a guardian over Jeju Island.

Fans of K-dramas can also stop for selfies at filming locations along the way, while lovers of K-pop can visit the childhood haunts of their favourite BTS members.

It helps, too, that the country is served by a network of affordable, clean and punctual high-speed trains, buses and subways, meaning even its furthest corners can be reached in a matter of hours.

But as we’ve seen all too clearly in neighbouring Japan, a sudden uptick in tourism can swiftly bring problems – and in South Korea, the cracks have already started to show. In Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, for example, a neighbourhood of hundreds of traditional homes perched on a hillside overlooking the city, residents became so frustrated by noisy late-night crowds that tourists are now banned from the area between 5pm and 10am. Anyone caught engaging in tourist activities in the so-called “Red Zone” during those hours risks a 100,000 won (£53) fine.

It’s a far cry from the days when South Korea was, if anything, an afterthought for Western tourists – a destination easily twinned with in-demand Japan, which seemed similarly safe, clean, polite and well organised.

“I used to joke that the national tourism slogan should be, ‘Well, since I’m in Japan, I might as well see Korea,’” says Joe McPherson.

“But now I’m giving tours to families where the parents wanted to go to Japan, but the kids were more interested in Korea.”

Thousands have been seduced by this novel world of hanboks, gimbap and fresh-faced idols, just as they once were by cherry blossom, kimono and onigiri – and now they want to see it for themselves.

“I fell in love with Korea,” says Polly Faber. “And like any long-distance romance, sooner or later you have to meet, to see if the reality measures up.”

But that’s the thing about whirlwind romances: they can quickly sour.

As South Korea basks in its new-found international acclaim, the question is whether it will learn from the likes of Japan and shield itself from the evils of overtourism before it’s too late – or, as in any good K-drama, whether it will all end in tears.

Interested in planning a holiday to South Korea? Our beginner’s guide has everything you’ll need to get started.

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