South Korea tourism spending heavily concentrated in Seoul

While South Korea saw a record 18.94 million foreign visitors last year, tourism and spending remain heavily concentrated in Seoul. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization reveals that Seoul accounted for 76.8% of all foreign visitors and 70.8% of total foreign card spending, which amounted to 11.74 trillion won.

In contrast, regional areas saw significantly lower engagement. Provinces such as Gyeongbuk recorded only 2.3% of visitors, while Jeonnam and Gwangju each saw just 0.6%. Despite this imbalance, entries through regional airports—including Gimhae, Jeju, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang, and Muan—increased 2.3 times over two years, reaching 3.17 million people.

Research indicates that tourists who visit both the capital and regional areas spend significantly more, with an average expenditure of $1,553.60 compared to $924.30 for those staying only in the metropolitan area. Representative Lim Oh-kyung emphasized the need to shift policy focus from merely increasing visitor numbers to managing regional dispersion and local consumption as key performance indicators.