In the fourth quarter of 2025, visits to North Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongbuk) surged: foreign visitors rose 20% and domestic travelers increased 16.5%.
According to the Gyeongbuk Culture & Tourism Corporation’s “2025 Q4 Tourism Statistics Analysis,” foreign arrivals jumped 20% year‑on‑year to 242,146, while domestic (nonlocal) visits climbed 16.5% to 7,039,480.
Analysis of navigation search data shows Bulguksa Temple at the top and the National Gyeongju Museum in second. The museum, which hosted a special exhibition of Silla gold crowns, rocketed from 13th place last Q4 to second. Goryeong’s Dasan ginkgo forest and a nearby cosmos flower garden also climbed to 28th in search rankings.
Mentions of Gyeongbuk on social media jumped 33% year‑over‑year. The APEC summit boosted interest in Gyeongju and the Bomun Tourist Complex, and positive sentiment around Andong’s Hahoe Village increased.
Visitors responded to the region’s distinctive charms. By city and county, year‑over‑year visits rose 21.4% in Yeongyang County, 21.2% in Mungyeong City, and 19.4% in Yeongdeok County. Yeongyang drew attention with its birch forest and Dudeul Village. Mungyeong benefited from local festivals like the Yakdol Hanwoo Beef Festival and the Apple Festival. In Yeongdeok, improved highway access and strong demand for daege (snow crab) helped drive the visitor increase.
