South Korea has seen a surge in foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, but
visitor numbers from the once-leading Southeast Asian source market of
Thailand have plummeted.
Data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows just 119,000 Thai
tourists visited from January to April 2023 - a 21.1% decrease compared
to the same period last year. This contrasts with an overall 86.9%
increase in foreign arrivals.
Thailand has fallen from being the top Southeast Asian source market
for South Korean tourism in 2019 to now ranking third behind Vietnam and
the Philippines.
"The decline in Thai tourists can only be explained by the K-ETA
issue," a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated,
referring to South Korea's new K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel
Authorization) system that requires pre-travel approval for most
nationalities.
While 22 places like Japan and Singapore received temporary K-ETA
exemptions, Thailand was excluded. The high number of K-ETA rejections
for Thai travellers, sometimes without clear explanations, has fuelled
dissatisfaction.
Stories have spread on Thai social media about travellers being
denied entry to South Korea even after obtaining K-ETA approval,
exacerbating negative sentiment.
South Korea's Justice Ministry has defended the stricter entry rules
for Thai nationals as necessary to prevent illegal immigration, as
Thailand was previously the leading source. However, the tourism
authorities hoped for a K-ETA exemption during the designated "Visit
Korea Year" 2023 to strengthen ties.
"Despite our request for a temporary exemption...this year, the
Ministry of Justice remains firm on its stance," the official said.
South Korea and Thailand designated 2023-2024 as a "Mutual Visit Year"
to boost tourism cooperation.
The decline is significant as Thai arrivals to South Korea from
January-April 2023 were just 59% of 2019 pre-pandemic levels, lagging
the overall 88% foreign tourist recovery rate.