South Korea Tourism in Australia – Statistics (2024)

Published 7 Jan 2020 · Updated 26 June 2025

How many South Korean tourists visit Australia each year?

Over 342,000 South Korean tourists visited Australia in 2024.

  • This represented a 30.04% increase compared to the 263,000 South Korean visitors recorded in 2023.
  • The number of South Korean visitors in 2024 was 34.65% higher than the pre-pandemic level of 254,000 visitors in 2019.
  • South Korea ranked 8th among all international visitor markets to Australia in 2024.
Bar chart of annual South Korean tourist arrivals in Australia
South Korean tourist arrivals in Australia, annually

How much did South Korean tourists spend in Australia in 2024?

South Korean visitors spent approximately $2.20 billion during trips to Australia in 2024.

  • In 2024, spending within Australia by South Korean visitors increased by 42.73%, rising from $1.1 billion in 2023 to $1.57 billion. Total trip spending grew by 39.24%, increasing from $1.58 billion to $2.20 billion.
  • In 2024, spending within Australia by South Korean visitors was 46.73% higher than in 2019 ($1.07 billion). Total trip spending in 2024 exceeded the 2019 figure of $1.5 billion by 46.67%, 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
YearSpend in AustraliaTotal Trip Spend
20191.07 B1.50 B
2020.32 B
2021.02 B.02 B
2022.34 B.47 B
20231.10 B1.58 B
20241.57 B2.20 B

Source · Note: “Spend in Australia” is spending within Australia, while “Total Trip Spend” includes all trip expenses, including those outside Australia such as international flights and pre-trip costs.

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 20191.

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%.
Line chart of South Korean visitors to Australia from 1990 to 2019
South Korean visitors to Australia between 1990 and 2019

South Korea’s share in the Australian tourism industry

  • South Korea contributed 3.1% of all international visitors in 2018/19.
Donut chart infographic showing the share of Australia's 2019 visitors by country of residence, with China and other top markets labelled.
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 2018/192.
  • The majority of spending came from holidaymakers, at $833M.

Campervan hire in Australia

References

  1. Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, August 2019 · abs.gov.au
  2. International Visitor Survey, 2019 · tra.gov.au
  3. TRA — International tourism results, Australia, March 2024 · tra.gov.au