Foreign tourists' card spending in Korea surpasses 2 trillion won for the first time in May

*This content was translated by AI.

Foreign tourists' card spending in Korea exceeded 2 trillion won for the month of May.

The Korea Tourism Organization (CEO Park Seong-hyuk, hereinafter KTO) announced that analysis of big data on foreign card consumption from the Korea Tourism Data Lab revealed that foreign tourists' domestic card spending in May 2026 surpassed 2 trillion won for the first time in history (2.1222 trillion won). This represents a 67.1% increase compared to 1.2702 trillion won in the same month last year, marking the highest growth rate since 2023.

The explosive growth in May this year is attributed to the surge in Chinese tourists. Their card spending has continued to rise monthly since the beginning of the year, with a more than threefold increase (+214.0%) in May compared to the same month last year.

By industry, growth was most prominent in shopping (+77.8%), transportation (+70.6%), medical wellness (+65.8%), and food and beverage (+64.9%) compared to May last year. In detailed sectors, high growth rates were recorded in pharmacies (+206.1%), toys and amusement equipment (+191.4%), skin care and massage (+153.9%), department stores (+89.2%), duty-free shops (+87.6%), accessories (+87.0%), dermatology clinics (+85.5%), and sports equipment and apparel (+84.5%). In transportation, railways grew by 79.9%, and in accommodation, condominiums grew by 72.2%.

In particular, the "toys and amusement equipment" sector (+191.4%) is analyzed to be the result of concentrated purchases of limited edition goods from global character IP pop-up stores. It is estimated that spending focused on goods such as LINE Friends, BT21 collaborative pop-up stores, Pokémon cards, and figures.

The most notable point in this analysis is that foreign inbound consumption trends have clearly bifurcated into "lifestyle consumption" centered on the global 2030 generation and "ultra-high-end luxury shopping" led by Chinese tourists.

In Seoul Myeong-dong and Seongsu-dong, K-fashion and gorpcore trends were prominent. In the sports equipment and apparel sector (+84.5%), differentiation by commercial district was clear. In Myeong-dong (+162.0%), the production of Korea-exclusive custom apparel such as "Nike by You" emerged as an experiential shopping route. Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong (+141.9%) is gaining attention as a hub for those seeking Korean-style "gorpcore*" brands, coinciding with trends spreading on social media.

Additionally, in Seongsu-dong and Busan Haeundae, the consumption trend of "K-pharmacies" linked to dermatology procedures can be observed. Linked consumption, where patients purchase pharmaceutical-grade regenerative creams at pharmacies after cosmetic procedures, is spreading. Premium pharmacies in areas such as Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong (+15,249%) and Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong (+2,877%) recorded unprecedented growth, and a similar consumption pattern was also observed in Busan Haeundae-gu Wu 1-dong (+12,828%), indicating a trend spreading to local regions.

In Jeju Island, luxury resort spending increased. Daeryun-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju, absorbed demand for private pool villas and luxury townhouses, causing condominium sales to surge by 193.1%.

Chinese high-spending group leads "ultra-high-end luxury shopping"

As Chinese tourists led overall consumption growth, sales of high-end luxury product categories such as watches and jewelry (+69.7%) and accessories (+87.0%) rose significantly. In Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, where luxury stores are concentrated, watches and jewelry grew by 135.0% and accessories by 197.7% compared to the previous year. In particular, the average transaction value for the watches and jewelry sector reached 12.15 million won, with Chinese tourists being the primary consumer group.

In Yerae-dong, Seogwipo-si, which features a five-star resort environment, the growth rate of accessories increased by 589.2% compared to the previous year. While the overall average transaction value was 530,000 won, the average payment amount for Chinese tourists reached 6.32 million won, showing a trend of high-value consumption combined with premium stays.

Lee Mi-suk (Team Lead) of the KTO Tourism Data Hub Team stated, "This analysis shows that foreign tourist consumption is moving beyond a simple recovery phase, becoming segmented by commercial district, industry, and country." He added, "Going forward, we will continue to provide data-based insights to enable local governments and the industry to detect these changes early and respond proactively."

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*This content was translated by AI.