Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization launch 2026 Korea Beauty Festival, leading the K-beauty boom

*This content was translated by AI.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (hereinafter KTO) held the opening ceremony of the '2026 Korea Beauty Festival (Korea Beauty Festival, hereinafter KBF)' on the 24th at Seoul Hyer Ground, 5th floor, and launched a full-scale campaign to attract foreign tourists to K-beauty until September 30.

Global interest in K-beauty is translating into actual visits and spending in Korea, now playing a major role in improving the country's tourism balance of payments. According to Korea Tourism Data Lab, foreign tourists' spending in the beauty sector last year reached 843.3 billion won, a 38% increase from the previous year. To connect this trend with inbound demand, the KTO gathered diverse K-beauty content including makeup, hair, fashion, and wellness in one place.

At the opening ceremony on the 24th, the KTO appointed actress Hye-ri, who enjoys high recognition among global beauty enthusiasts, as the KBF promotional model. As the protagonist of the festival's promotional video, Hye-ri will showcase the charm of K-beauty tourism to the world through the KTO's overseas promotional channels (totaling 8 million followers) and major global travel platforms.

In addition, business matchmaking events and consumer promotions linking K-beauty with travel will also be held. On the 25th, a Travel Mart and welcome banquet will be held with 48 companies from 16 countries, including the travel, beauty, and medical industries. At the banquet, Korea Tourism Honorary Ambassadors Kyoko Hasegawa (Japan), Cécile de la Cueva (Mexico), and Chadraval Ganginz (Mongolia) will attend and host a talk show on the theme of K-beauty and Korean tourism. Following this, until the 29th, a fam tour will be conducted with 93 overseas travel industry professionals and influencers, visiting beauty, wellness, and medical tourism sites across the country including Seoul, Jeju, Busan, and Gangwon, to promote regional tourism commercialization.

A pop-up zone for consumers will also be operated. From the 24th to the 29th, at the front yard and 4th and 5th floors of Seoul Hyer Ground, attendees can enjoy AI personal color diagnosis, experience programs from representative companies in fields such as makeup, hair, wellness, and fashion, and expert beauty classes. In addition, nine global travel platforms* will operate special exhibitions until September 30, offering approximately 800 types of beauty tourism products featuring various discounts and souvenir benefits.

KTO Park Seong-hyeok (President) stated, "The trend of 'Let's get prettier in Korea' is gaining popularity on social media, and Korea has already emerged as a 'Glowcation' destination," adding, "Through this festival, we aim to turn global interest in K-beauty into actual visits and spending."

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*This content was translated by AI.