Thai tourists flock to Japan & China amid ‘Ban Korea’ movement

A social media-driven boycott of South Korea, dubbed “Ban Korea,” has seemingly influenced Thai tourists to favour Japan and China as travel destinations over South Korea. However, South Korea attributes the issue to the presence of illegal Thai workers.

The boycott campaign started by disgruntled Thai tourists denied entry into South Korea, criticising the country’s immigration service for being overly stringent. They encourage fellow Thais to explore alternative destinations like China and Vietnam.

Despite a general increase in foreign visitors to South Korea this year, the number of Thai tourists has significantly decreased, largely due to the implementation of the electronic travel authorisation system, K-ETA. The hashtag gained traction on social media late last year, and by the first four months of this year, Thai tourist numbers had dropped 21% to 119,000, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.

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South Korea’s tourism industry plays a vital role in the economy, accounting for 4.3% of the nation’s GDP, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s 2024 research. However, this figure lags behind European countries like the UK and Germany, where tourism contributes 9.5% and 8.8% to their GDP, respectively.

Before the pandemic, 572,000 Thai tourists visited South Korea in 2019. The country had introduced the K-ETA visa, allowing preapproved tourists to stay up to 90 days. However, some Thais exploited this system, staying longer and engaging in illegal work, prompting immigration officials to conduct secondary inspections.

In 2023, 2,601 Thais registered with the Thai Ministry of Labour expressing their wish to return home from South Korea.