Chinese Tourists to S. Korea to Overtake Americans

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 26, 2001

Chinese Tourists to S. Korea to Overtake Americans

Chinese tourists to South Korea ranked number two after the Japanese in 2001 and outnumbered Americans, according to the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) Tuesday.

Chinese tourists to South Korea ranked number two after the Japanese in 2001 and outnumbered Americans, according to the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) Tuesday.

KNTO said this year had 4,753,766 foreign visitors coming to S. Korea as of the end of November, of which Japanese tourists made up 46.8% or 2,224,672, followed by the Chinese at 9.3% or 444,113 and Americans with 8.3% or 5,963. Tourists from the Philippines, Hong Kong, Russia, and China's Taiwan came next recording 4.1%, 3.8%, 2.6%, and 2.5%, respectively.

Hang Hwa-jun, director of the China and Southeast Asia team at the KNTO said visitors from America in particular, decreased by 10% to 15% since the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, but Chinese travelers increased by more than 10% from last year, adding that he expects Chinese tourists to S. Korea next year to reach 500,000, up 13% from this year.

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