The number of Thai tourists visiting Korea has been on a steady decline for seven consecutive months, a trend that has raised concerns among tourism officials and prompted calls for policy changes. According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the number of Thai tourists visiting Korea last month was 20,150, a decrease of 19.5% compared to the same month last year. This decline has persisted since December of last year, making Thailand the only major country visiting Korea to see a roughly 20% decrease in tourists.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand was the top Southeast Asian country in terms of tourists visiting Korea, with 572,000 Thai tourists in 2019. The explosive popularity of K-pop, K-dramas, and K-movies in Thailand had significantly increased interest in Korea. However, the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) system in September 2021 has been a major factor in the decline. The K-ETA requires nationals from 112 visa-free countries to input their information on a website and receive approval before entering Korea. This system, while aimed at streamlining entry processes and enhancing security, has led to stricter screenings and increased entry refusals for Thai nationals.
“The number of Thai tourists visiting Korea last month was 20,150, a decrease of 19.5% compared to the same month last year,” said a representative from the Korea Tourism Organization. “The decline has continued for seven months since December of last year. Among the major countries visiting Korea, Thailand is the only one to see a roughly 20% decrease in tourists.”
In contrast, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea in June increased by 47.5%, totaling 1,417,000 compared to the same month last year. Despite this overall recovery in the tourism sector, Thailand’s ranking among Southeast Asian countries in terms of the number of tourists visiting Korea has plummeted. As recently as April, Thailand was in third place behind Vietnam and the Philippines, but it dropped to fifth place in May and remained there in June. Last month, Thailand ranked fifth among Southeast Asian countries, with Vietnam (47,323), the Philippines (44,891), Singapore (34,134), and Indonesia (29,137) all having more visitors.
“In the first half of this year, the cumulative number of Thai tourists was 168,328, a decrease of 19.1% compared to the same period last year,” the KTO representative added. “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand was the top Southeast Asian country in terms of tourists visiting Korea.”
The decline in Thai tourists has been attributed to issues with the K-ETA system. “Since last year, strict screening in Thailand has led to numerous entry refusals, fostering anti-Korean sentiment,” the KTO representative explained. This sentiment has likely contributed to the continuous decline in the number of Thai visitors to Korea.
In response to the declining numbers, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has requested the Ministry of Justice to temporarily exempt Thai nationals from the K-ETA requirement until the end of this year to attract Thai tourists. “The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism requested the Ministry of Justice to temporarily exempt Thai nationals from the K-ETA requirement until the end of this year to attract Thai tourists,” a ministry official stated.
However, the Ministry of Justice finds it difficult to accept this request due to concerns about illegal residents and serious crimes. “Thailand ranks first in the number of illegal residents in Korea, and there are concerns that illegal residents are often involved in serious crimes such as drug and sex offenses,” a representative from the Ministry of Justice said.
As the debate continues, the tourism industry in Korea remains hopeful for a resolution that balances security concerns with the need to revive Thai tourism. The outcome of these discussions will be crucial in determining whether the downward trend in Thai tourists can be reversed in the coming months.
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