South Korea’s Jeju Island’s foreign tourist arrivals rose 21.5 per cent year-on-year to 955,748 in the first five months of 2026, with mainland China remaining the island’s largest source market, according to the latest figures from the Jeju Tourism Organization.
The South Korean island, which hosts eight foreigner-only casino licences, welcomed nearly 5.64 million visitors between January and May. Growth was recorded across both domestic and international travel segments, although overseas arrivals expanded at a significantly faster pace. The latest tourism data, as reported by GGRAsia, comes as Jeju’s casino sector continues to report rising gaming revenue and visitor volumes, led by growth at major operators including Jeju Dream Tower.
Foreign arrivals approach one million visitors
Jeju recorded approximately 5.64 million visitor arrivals during the first five months of 2026, up 9.8 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Domestic visitors accounted for nearly 4.69 million arrivals, an increase of 7.7 per cent year-on-year.
Foreign tourist arrivals reached 955,748, representing growth of 21.5 per cent compared with the corresponding period in2025. In May alone, Jeju welcomed almost 1.21 million visitors. Domestic travellers accounted for 963,994 arrivals, while foreign visitor numbers increased 12.6 per cent year-on-year to 241,555. Although domestic arrivals fell 7.1 per cent during May, growth in international tourism helped lift overall visitor volumes.
China remains Jeju’s largest source market
Mainland China continued to dominate inbound tourism to Jeju. The South Korean island received 613,112 visitors from mainland China between January and May, accounting for 64.2 per cent of all foreign arrivals. Chinese visitor numbers increased 3.9 per cent year-on-year, maintaining the market’s position as Jeju’s largest overseas source of tourism. Jeju’s visa-free entry programme for visitors from mainland China and several other regional markets has helped support international travel to the island.
Taiwan ranked as Jeju’s second-largest overseas market during the first five months of the year, contributing 134,760 visitors. Arrivals from Taiwan more than doubled compared with a year earlier, rising 102.2 per cent. Japan was the third-largest source market with 41,861 visitors, up 99.3 per cent year-on-year. The figures indicate broad-based growth across several of Jeju’s key tourism markets, alongside the continued strength of Chinese visitation.
The increase in foreign tourist arrivals comes as Jeju’s casino sector continues to expand. The island’s casino industry generated a record KRW646.50 billion ($429.5 million) in gross gaming revenue during 2025, up 40.8 per cent from 2024. Tourism growth has remained an important backdrop for the island’s foreigner-only casino market, which relies on overseas visitors.
Jeju Dream Tower reports higher revenue and visitation
Recent results from Jeju Dream Tower operator Lotte Tour Development show continued growth in gaming activity during 2026. Casino revenue at Jeju Dream Tower reached KRW48.72 billion ($31.3 million) in June, up 36.1 per cent from the same month last year. Casino visitation increased 18.7 per cent to 61,146 visitors.
For the first six months of 2026, casino revenue totalled KRW265.72 billion ($170.6 million), representing growth of 36.6 per cent year-on-year. The company has also said the property entered a new “utilisation phase” from January 2026 following its earlier ramp-up period, citing higher awareness, gaming volumes and visitation. First-quarter casino revenue at the resort rose 40.3 per cent year-on-year to KRW118.6 billion ($78.5 million), while casino drop increased 35.0 per cent to KRW650.5 billion ($430.3 million).
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