The number of tourists traveling overseas hit a January record, thanks to a strong won, travel portal Tourgo said Tuesday.

The state-run online database engine revealed that the number of tourists headed abroad totaled slightly more than 1.4 million, a 21.8 percent increase from the previous month.

In particular, about 50 percent more prospective travelers are visiting travel agencies, searching for tour packages to Japan, hoping for more economical deals thanks to the strength of the won against the yen, travel agency officials said.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)