Foreign tourism to Seoul rises in April, with the Seoul Metropolitan Government reporting 1.56 million overseas visitors, an 18.8% increase from the same month last year. The figure follows a year-on-year growth of about 19%, as reflected across outlets citing the metropolitan government’s release.
Alongside the arrival increase, foreign visitors spend more in the capital. Card spending by overseas tourists in Seoul reaches 1.15 trillion won (about $763 million) in April, up 50.5% year-on-year, based on data compiled from the Korea Tourism Organization and South Korea’s culture ministry. Seoul accounts for the largest share of nationwide foreign card spending: 72.3% of nearly 2 trillion won spent nationwide during the month. The nationwide total also excludes online purchases worth 397.4 billion won.
By spending category, shopping mall expenditures total 245.2 billion won, up 62.5% from a year earlier, while medical spending increases 59.2% to 192.1 billion won. Beauty-related purchases rise 35%. Within Seoul, Gangnam is the top spending district at 29.1%, followed by Jung at 27.5% and Mapo at 7.4%.
