The number of foreign visitors to Seoul in the first quarter of this year reached an all-time high.

The city of Seoul said on Wednesday that three-point-03 million foreign travelers visited the capital in the first three months of the year, up three-point-four percentage points from the same period in 2017. 

The city also unveiled the results of its monthly survey of 500 foreign tourists as well as a compilation of the results for all of last year. 

According to the analysis, visits to locations featured in dramas and entertainment programs that were aired overseas jumped to more than 41 percent last year, up from 32-point-four percent in 2017.

A growing percentage of travelers visited restaurants and shops frequented by K-pop stars as well.

One in two said they were on their second or more visit to Seoul. Those surveyed rated their overall satisfaction as four and a quarter stars out of five.

On the other hand, the language barrier remained a hurdle. 

The tourists gave three-point-69 stars for communication and slightly less than four stars for travel information services.