Seoul draws over 1.5 million foreign tourists in April

SEOUL: More than 1.5 million foreign tourists visited Seoul in April, while their card spending in the South Korean capital climbed above 1.15 trillion won, according to figures released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday.

The city government said overseas arrivals reached 1.5 million in April, up 18.8pc from 1.3 million in the same month in 2025. For the first four months of the year, cumulative foreign arrivals stood at 5.2 million, compared with 4.28 million during the corresponding period last year, marking a 21.4pc increase.

Data from the Korea Tourism Organisation showed foreign tourists spent 1.153 trillion won, or about $762 million, in Seoul through card payments in April, representing a 50.5pc year-on-year rise. City officials said the data indicated that Seoul’s tourism industry had moved past a recovery phase and was now seeing growth in both volume and value.

According to the city government, Seoul accounted for 72.3pc of foreign tourists’ nationwide card spending in April when online purchases were excluded. Across South Korea, foreign visitors spent a total of 1.999 trillion won during the month, including online transactions.

Spending shifts toward higher-value services

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said visitor spending was increasingly moving beyond conventional retail purchases toward higher-value services such as medical care, beauty-related treatments and dining.

Shopping remained the largest category, making up 45.4pc of total spending. Medical and wellness services accounted for 24.8pc, followed by food and beverages at 13.1pc and accommodation at 11pc.

Spending at large shopping malls rose to 245.2 billion won, an increase of 62.5pc from a year earlier. Medical tourism-related expenditures reached 192.1 billion won after rising 59.2pc, while outlays at beauty-related businesses increased 35pc.

Gangnam leads tourist spending by district

By district, Gangnam-gu recorded the biggest share of tourist spending at 29.1pc. Jung-gu followed with 27.5pc, while Mapo-gu accounted for 7.4pc, Seocho-gu 6.5pc and Jongno-gu 5.5pc.

City officials said tourist spending remained concentrated in established visitor areas such as Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun, while also staying strong in upscale consumption zones in southern Seoul, including Apgujeong, Cheongdam and Coex.

Chinese tourists were the largest group of foreign visitors to Seoul in April, numbering 440,000. They were followed by visitors from Japan at 230,000, Taiwan at 150,000, the United States at 130,000 and the Philippines at 60,000.