(Yicai Global) July 26 -- The number of foreign visitors to South Korea fell 36.2 percent to 991,800 in June compared with the same period last year and the decline has been going on for four straight months, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said yesterday. The number of Korea-bound Chinese tourists dropped 66.4 percent to 254,930.

China's ban on the sale of package tours to South Korea by travel agencies led to a decrease in the number of Chinese travelers heading there in the last four months. The declines were recorded as 40 percent, 66.6 percent and 64.1 percent in March, April and May, respectively. Japanese visitors to the country have dwindled for three months due to the concerns over North Korea. The number of Southeast Asian, European and American tourists have been on the decline.

The number of South Korea's outbound tourists rose 18 percent last month. Some 12.62 million Koreans travelled abroad in the first half, up 18.7 percent annually.