Foreign Tourists in Seoul Spend 8.8 Trillion Won in Nine Months
Up 57.7% from the same period last year
Monthly spending topped 1 trillion won for six consecutive months
Foreign visitors hit a record 13.14 million
Foreign tourists visiting Seoul spent 8.8435 trillion won on their cards in the first nine months of this year. That figure far exceeds the total spending of 7.9375 trillion won for all of last year.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on November 3 that its analysis of tourism and spending trends in Seoul from January through September 2026 found that foreign tourists’ card spending totaled 8.8435 trillion won, up 57.7% from the same period last year.
Last year’s fourth-quarter spending totaled 2.3304 trillion won. The city expects annual card spending by foreign tourists to exceed 10 trillion won if the growth continues this year alongside the year-end holiday season, including Christmas.
Shopping and medical and wellness services led tourism spending by sector. Through September, shopping accounted for 46% of card spending, while medical and wellness services made up 23.8%. Food and beverage services (13.3%) and lodging (10.4%) followed.
By district, Gangnam-gu accounted for 29.6% of total spending in Seoul, followed by Jung-gu (27.7%) and Mapo-gu (7.1%). In particular, foreign tourists’ card spending at 10 major tourist destinations, including Myeong-dong, Gangnam, and Seongsu, totaled 5.3159 trillion won during the period, up 57.2% from the same period last year. Spending in neighborhood commercial districts rose even more sharply, increasing 80.5% to 308.2 billion won over the same period.
Seoul welcomed 13.14 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of this year, the highest figure ever recorded for the same period. That was up 21.5% from the same period last year and 27.9% higher than in the corresponding period of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. By nationality, Chinese visitors topped the list at 4.2 million, followed by 2.5 million Japanese, 1.43 million Taiwanese, and 930,000 Americans.
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The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to continue developing tourism content that can extend foreign tourists’ stays and boost their spending. It will link major tourist destinations with neighborhood commercial districts and traditional markets so that growth in the tourism industry also helps revitalize the local economy. “The increase in tourists is boosting sales for small business owners and bringing vitality to the local economy,” said Jo Seong-ho, director general of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Tourism and Sports Bureau. “We will continue to closely connect diverse tourism content with local commercial districts so that tourists’ spending benefits businesses and the livelihoods of residents across Seoul.”
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