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| ▲ Foreign visitors enjoy their leisure time at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- The number of visitors to major Korean palaces and Joseon royal tombs reached an all-time high this year, surpassing the previous record set in 2024.
According to the Heritage Promotion Bureau of the Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday, a total of 14.89 million visitors were recorded from January to the end of November 2024. This figure exceeds last year’s record of 14.37 million by 520,000.
Among the visitors, 2.99 million were foreign tourists, marking a 49% increase compared to 2023. Foreigners accounted for 20% of total visitors, up from 14% last year.
Notably, 6.89 million participants engaged in 16 palace and tomb-themed programs, including the Royal Culture Festival, Joseon Royal Tomb Festival, Gyeongbokgung’s Starlight Tour, and Changdeokgung’s Moonlight Tour. These participants made up 46% of the total visitors.
The Royal Culture Festival, held at the five grand palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung, and Gyeonghuigung) and Jongmyo Shrine, emerged as the most popular event, attracting 350,000 participants in spring and 330,000 in fall.
Ticket sales for the “Palace Pass,” a special access pass for the festival, surged from 969 passes sold in 2023 to 9,772 passes this year—a tenfold increase.
The Joseon Royal Tomb Festival, hosted at five tomb sites, saw a 21% rise in participation, with 49,956 attendees compared to the previous year.
The Heritage Promotion Bureau reported that these palace and tomb programs generated an economic impact, including 4.72 trillion won in production, 1.77 trillion won in added value, and 3,573 jobs created.
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