Seoul draws record 1.61 mil. foreign tourists in July

Seoul drew a record 1.61 million foreign tourists in July, as the city’s tourism boom gathered pace and spending by overseas visitors surged far faster than arrivals.

The July total was 20.8 percent higher than a year earlier and 5.2 percent higher than in June, marking the highest monthly figure on record, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Foreign tourists spent more than 1.07 trillion won ($773 million) via credit card in July, a 69.7 percent increase from the same month a year earlier.

Monthly card spending by foreign visitors has topped 1 trillion won for four consecutive months since April, while spending during the first seven months reached 6.688 trillion won, up 58.7 percent from a year earlier.

That growth has outpaced the 21.3 percent increase in visitor numbers during the same period, suggesting that tourists are spending more broadly as well as arriving in greater numbers.

Shopping accounted for 46.4 percent of spending from January through July, followed by medical and wellness services at 24.4 percent and food and beverages at 13.1 percent.

Medical tourism spending rose 63.9 percent, while spending at general restaurants increased 56.4 percent, pointing to a shift beyond shopping toward health, wellness, dining and beauty.

Chinese visitors formed the largest group in July, with 600,000 arrivals, or 37.1 percent of the total, followed by 250,000 Japanese visitors, 200,000 from Taiwan and 120,000 from the United States.

From January through July, Seoul received 9.83 million foreign visitors, up 21.3 percent from the 8.11 million recorded during the same period a year earlier.

The city plans to build on the gains through its “3-3-7-7 Seoul Tourism Future Vision,” which seeks 30 million foreign visitors, average per-person spending of 3 million won, seven-day stays and a 70 percent repeat-visit rate.

Seoul also plans to expand medical and wellness tourism, dining, and beauty offerings while linking attractions across the city with nighttime tourism to encourage longer stays and more spending.

"With foreign tourist arrivals to Seoul steadily rising, the city recorded its highest-ever monthly visits in July, continuing the growth momentum of Seoul's tourism industry," said Cho Sung-ho, director-general of the Tourism and Sports Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

"Beyond simply increasing tourist numbers, we will expand attractive tourism content and nighttime tourism to create a Seoul where visitors stay longer, experience more, and return. We will build a '24-Hour Vibrant Economic City Seoul' that boosts both extended stays and local spending."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.