SEOUL, Aug. 27 (AJP)-Foreign tourists are spending substantially more in Seoul even as visitor numbers hit records, with card spending surging nearly 70 percent in July — more than three times the pace of growth in arrivals, metropolitan government data showed Thursday.
Seoul welcomed a record 1.61 million foreign visitors in July, up 20.8 percent from a year earlier, while their card spending jumped steeper 69.7 percent to 1.07 trillion won ($770 million).
The figures imply average card spending of about 665,000 won per visitor, up roughly 40 percent from a year earlier, underscoring a shift toward higher-value tourism as visitors spend more on shopping, medical services and dining.
July marked the fourth straight month that foreign tourist card spending in the capital exceeded 1 trillion won.
From January through July, Seoul drew 9.83 million foreign visitors, up 21.3 percent from a year earlier. Tourist card spending over the same period rose 58.7 percent to 6.69 trillion won.
China remained the largest source market in July with 600,000 visitors, followed by Japan with 250,000, Taiwan with 200,000 and the United States with 120,000.
Shopping remained the biggest spending category from January through July, accounting for 46.4 percent of foreign tourist card spending. Medical and wellness services accounted for 24.4 percent, followed by dining at 13.1 percent.
Spending on medical tourism rose 63.9 percent from a year earlier, while restaurant spending increased 56.4 percent.
The figures suggest that Seoul's tourism recovery is being driven not only by rising visitor numbers but also by stronger spending per traveler, particularly in higher-value service sectors.
The metropolitan government said it plans to expand medical, wellness, beauty and nighttime tourism programs to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
AJP Takeaways
- Foreign tourist card spending in Seoul jumped 69.7 percent in July, more than three times the 20.8 percent growth in visitor arrivals.
- Average card spending per visitor rose roughly 40 percent, pointing to stronger spending intensity as tourism volumes hit records.
- Shopping remained the largest spending category, while medical and wellness services accounted for nearly a quarter of foreign tourist spending.
-- Foreign tourist spending in Seoul grew more than three times faster than visitor arrivals in July, metropolitan government data showed Thursday.
Seoul welcomed a record 1.61 million foreign visitors in July, up 20.8 percent from a year earlier, while card spending by foreign tourists jumped 69.7 percent to 1.07 trillion won ($770 million).
July marked the fourth straight month that foreign tourist card spending in the capital stayed above 1 trillion won.
Seoul drew 9.83 million foreign visitors from January to July, up 21.3 percent from a year earlier.
Tourist card spending over the same period rose 58.7 percent to 6.69 trillion won.
China was the largest source market in July with 600,000 visitors, followed by Japan with 250,000, Taiwan with 200,000 and the United States with 120,000.
Shopping remained the biggest spending category from January to July, accounting for 46.4 percent of foreign tourist card spending.
Medical and wellness services accounted for 24.4 percent, followed by dining at 13.1 percent.
Medical tourism spending rose 63.9 percent from a year earlier, while restaurant spending increased 56.4 percent.
The city said it plans to expand medical, wellness, beauty and nighttime tourism programs to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
AJP Takeaways
· Foreign tourist spending in Seoul grew more than three times faster than visitor arrivals in July.
· Seoul welcomed a record 1.61 million foreign visitors, up 20.8 percent from a year earlier.
· Tourist card spending jumped 69.7 percent to 1.07 trillion won.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
