Seoul:Foreign tourist arrivals in South Korea have surged past 17 million in the first nine months of the year, positioning the country to exceed last year's annual total, recent data revealed.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported 17.11 million foreign visitors from January to September. This marks a 21.5 percent increase from the 14 million recorded during the same period last year. The ministry anticipates that this year's annual figure could surpass last year's total as soon as this month, with the nine-month tally already representing 90.3 percent of the 18.94 million visitors recorded in the previous year.

In September alone, South Korea welcomed 2.06 million foreign tourists, reflecting a 21.1 percent increase from a year earlier. The country has seen monthly foreign visitor numbers exceed the 2 million-mark five times this year, with notable months being March, April, July, August, and September.

China remained the largest source of visitors during the January-September period, with 5.47 million arrivals. This was followed by travelers from Japan at 3.99 million, Taiwan at 1.86 million, and Hong Kong at 550,000. Visitors from the Americas totaled 1.62 million, while those from Europe stood at 1.19 million.

Credit card spending by inbound travelers reached 15.94 trillion won (US$12 billion) during the same period, representing a 47.7 percent increase from a year earlier. Additionally, foreign arrivals through regional airports and ports also saw a significant rise. A total of 3.24 million foreigners entered South Korea through regional airports, marking a 37.4 percent increase from the same period last year, while arrivals through regional ports rose 14.5 percent to 1.58 million. Regional airports and ports accounted for a combined 28.2 percent of total inbound visitors.