As the number of Korean overseas travelers increases in summer, their credit payments overseas hit a record this year. According to a report entitled ‘Report of Credit Card Use Overseas in the Third Quarter of 2006’ released by the Bank of Korea, it is estimated that Korean travelers spent over $1.3 billion abroad between July and September, up 34.8% compared to the same period last year.

The report said that travelers paid over $1.1 billion in the second quarter of this year. The number of credit card users overseas was 1,945,000 persons, an increase of 22.5% compared to the same period last year.

It showed that the amount each traveler paid overseas by credit cards reached $675, up 10.0% compared to the same season last year. The Bank of Korea said that the trend was caused by the increasing value of the Korean won to the dollar in foreign exchange markets. It also pointed out that another cause is the increasing number of Korean travelers in summer.

Based on statistics released by the Korean National Tourism Organization (KNTO), the number of departures in the third quarter this year reached 31.9 million persons, but the number of foreigners entering Korea was 16 million persons. The bank said that the foreigners’ credit card use amounted to $640 million, up 4.8% compared to the same period last year.

The Bank of Korea said, “Only a 1.8% increase of foreign credit card use in the nation could be explained by to the increased value of Korean currency in foreign exchange markets.”

입력시간: 2006. 11.24. 07:55