Page last updated: 27 January 2025
Table of Contents
How many South Korean tourists visit Australia each year?
Over 337,000 South Korean tourists visited Australia in 2024 (year ending September).
- This represented a 60.48% increase compared to the 210,000 South Korean visitors recorded in 2023.
- The number of South Korean visitors in 2024 was 34.8% higher than the pre-pandemic level of 250,000 visitors in 2019.
- South Korea ranked 8th among all international visitor markets to Australia in 2024.
How much did South Korean tourists spend in Australia in 2024?
South Korean visitors spent approximately $2.09 billion during trips to Australia in 2024 (year ending September)
- In 2024, spending within Australia by South Korean visitors increased by 53.68%, rising from $950 million in 2023 to $1.46 billion. Total trip spending grew by 55.97%, increasing from $1.34 billion to $2.09 billion.
- In 2024, spending within Australia by South Korean visitors was 37.74% higher than in 2019 ($1.06 billion). Total trip spending in 2024 exceeded the 2019 figure of $1.49 billion by 40.27%, reflecting significant growth beyond pre-pandemic levels.
- South Korea ranked 6th in terms of total spending by international visitors in Australia in 2024.
| Tourism Spending by South Korean Visitors in Australia |
| Year Ending September ($) |
| Year | Spend in Australia | Total Trip Spend |
| 2019 | 1.06 B | 1.49 B |
| 2020 | .70 B | |
| 2021 | .01 B | .01 B |
| 2022 | .21 B | .28 B |
| 2023 | .95 B | 1.34 B |
| 2024 | 1.46 B | 2.09 B |
How many South Korean tourists travelled to Australia in 2021?
Over 460 Korean visitors came to Australia between April 2020 and March 2021. Visitors from Korea were down 99.8% when compared to the over 222,000 visitors of the previous year.
How many Korean tourists visited Australia in 2021?
Visitors from Korea spent over $5.6 million during visits to Australia between April 2020 and March 2021. Spending by Korean visitors was down 99.6% when compared to the over $1.3 billion spent during the previous year.
How many South Korean tourists visited Australia in 2019?
280,700 South Korean tourists visited Australia between July 2018 and June 2019.1
South Korea tourism through the years
- South Korea tourism reached a peak in 2017/18 with 304,400 visitors.
- 2018/19 saw a decrease of 7%.
Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ
South Korea’s share in the Australian tourism industry
- South Korea contributed 3.1% of all international visitors in 2018/19.
Top countries that sent visitors to Australia in 2019
South Korea’s contribution to tourism expenditure
- At $1.5B, South Korea contributed over 3.3% of all tourism expenditure in Australia in 2018/19.2
- The majority of spending came from holidaymakers, at $833M.