Incheon's Medical Tourism Continues to Grow, Driven by Competitiveness in Serious Illness Treatment and the K-Beauty Boom

Incheon’s medical tourism sector continues its upward momentum, fueled by competitiveness in treating serious illnesses as well as the ongoing K-beauty boom.

According to the Incheon Tourism Organization, the number of foreign patients attracted to Incheon has risen sharply over the past three years, reaching 14,606 in 2023, 21,387 in 2024, and 26,483 last year.

The Incheon Tourism Organization analyzed that this rapid growth stems from both the high added value of advanced treatments focused on serious diseases, and the quantitative expansion of treatments for minor conditions in dermatology and plastic surgery.

Incheon’s medical tourism has established a strong position in the treatment of severe conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, resulting in high average medical bills per patient and longer stays. According to the “2024 Report on Foreign Patient Consumption Patterns Based on Credit Card Data” by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, in 2024, the total card spending by foreign patients in Incheon amounted to 112 billion won. This is 2.2 times greater in terms of economic impact compared to other local governments with similar numbers of patients.

The scene from the Incheon Medical Tourism briefing held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, last May. Provided by Incheon Tourism Organization.

In addition, the K-beauty craze has led to a significant increase in minor cases, particularly at clinics. Last year’s analysis by medical specialty showed a surge of 169.5% in foreign dermatology patients compared to the previous year, while the number of foreign plastic surgery patients also grew by 54.7%. This has positioned these areas as new growth drivers for Incheon’s medical tourism industry.

By nationality, the foreign patient market has become more diversified, moving beyond Asia to North America and Central Asia, with Japan, China, the United States, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Vietnam the leading countries of origin.

Incheon’s medical tourism sector continues to grow in 2026. In the second quarter of this year, 41 medical institutions affiliated with “Team Medical Incheon”—a public-private council co-organized by the Incheon Metropolitan City and Incheon Tourism Organization—saw foreign patient inflow rise by 133.6% compared to the same period last year. Based on the National Tourism Strategy Conference’s data, which sets the average spending per medical tourist at 8.11 million won, Incheon’s foreign patient medical consumption for the second quarter of this year alone is estimated at around 109.8 billion won.

Yoo Jisang, CEO of Incheon Tourism Organization, stated, “Incheon offers outstanding severe disease treatment infrastructure at general hospitals, as well as optimal geographic conditions with its airport and seaport. We plan to actively pursue a strategy of both quantitative and qualitative growth in medical tourism to help achieve Incheon City’s goal of attracting 3 million foreign tourists.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.