The number of overseas tourists who came to South Korea last month more than tripled compared to a year earlier.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization(KTO) on Friday, 310-thousand-945 foreigners visited the country in August, up 220-point-three percent on-year.

The figure has steadily increased with the resumption of visa-free entry and the lifting of most quarantine measures, with 175-thousand-922 foreign travelers in May rising to 227-thousand-713 in June and 263-thousand-986 in July.

Of the total, the largest nationality represented was the U.S. with 50-thousand-299 entrants, followed by 30-thousand-248 from China and 26-thousand-482 from Japan.

The KTO assessed that a temporary visa waiver for travelers from Japan, Taiwan and Macau since August was a major factor that led to a sharp increase in visitors from those locations.

Meanwhile, the number of South Koreans traveling abroad in August jumped 409-point-nine percent on-year to 702-thousand-153.