South Korea’s international traffic continues climbing, led by Chinese visitors

A snapshot of the South Korean market shows that international traffic is still gaining steadily, thanks in part to Chinese travellers, even though the growth rate is settling back into a more stable single digit range.

Overseas visitor numbers have been increasing more strongly than overall international traffic, indicating that tourism is robust.

The mainland China market is once again South Korea's leading source of visitors, after a few years where it slipped down the rankings.

However, this traffic flow is still not back to 2019 levels.

Increased tension between China and Japan may boost South Korean international traffic, as South Korea could be seen as an alternative tourist destination.

In terms of airline share, the Korean Air-Asiana grouping will increase its market dominance after the two airlines and their subsidiaries merge.

However, South Korea's LCCs have gained a little bit of ground in terms of market share, versus the two major airlines.

The South Korean market is in the process of a major competitive shakeup, but international demand remains on a healthy trajectory.