Chinese set to outnumber Japanese tourists

The number of overseas tourists entering Korea reached a record 8 million Monday, aided by the sharp rise in Chinese tourists offsetting a slim decline in Japanese visitors, the latest data from the Korea Tourism Organization showed. 

The milestone figure is a 12 percent increase from the same period last year when the nation recorded 7.16 million inbound visitors.

The KTO report also showed nearly 65 percent of foreign tourists were from Asia with Japanese and Chinese making up the bulk of the total with 2.79 million and 2.37 million, respectively.