ULAN BATOR, April 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 705,000 foreign tourists visited Mongolia in the first quarter of 2018, up 11 percent from the same period last year, data from the National Statistical Office of Mongolia showed Monday.

Russia and China contributed the highest number of foreign tourists to the country in the first three months of this year, respectively accounting for 36 percent and 32.6 percent of the total.

Among the leading sources of incoming tourists for Mongolia, South Korea registered robust growth, up 15.7 percent from last year to reach 7,157 during the period.