South Korea

( Chung Sung-Jun, Getty Images )

Can 11.1 million tourists, mostly Chinese and Japanese, be wrong? South Korea doesn't think so. That was the country's tourist total in 2012 ¿ a record. Probably the Korean singer Psy's YouTube hit "Gangnam Style" didn't hurt. (Gangnam is a posh, modern shopping area in the capital that one British journalist has called "the Mayfair of Seoul.") American tourists arrive in a trickle, not a torrent, but the country is poised for tourism growth. Many infrastructure improvements were made for the 2012 World Expo in Yeosu, about 31/2 hours south of Seoul by high-speed rail. Besides the green mountains that surround Seoul and the hubbub of the city itself, there's a 3.6-mile stream running through town. It's called Cheonggyecheon, and it's part of a linear park with a tranquil walking path that opened in 2005. Elsewhere, visitors can take the Dolsan Bridge to verdant Dolsan Island, explore the Itaewon night-life district or Bukchon Hanok Village (a collection of traditional wooden homes near the Gyeongbok and Changdeok palaces) and browse the big department stores (Shinsegae, Lotte and Hyundai are three).