SEOUL: Spending by foreign tourists in South Korea surged in the first half of 2026, driven largely by a rebound in Chinese visitors and rapid growth in medical tourism, BC Card said on Aug 3.
The credit card company analysed transactions made with 3.3 million foreign-issued cards and found that total spending rose 53.6 per cent from 2025, while the number of transactions increased 40.3 per cent.
BC Card did not disclose the total amount spent. A separate report released last week by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism estimated that foreign visitors spent 10.04 trillion won (S$9 billion) in the first half of 2026, up 50.8 per cent from the same period in 2025.
The number of cards used by Chinese visitors rose 56.6 per cent year on year, followed by those from Singapore at 46.8 per cent, Taiwan at 44.3 per cent and Japan at 40.1 per cent.
Spending by Chinese visitors grew even faster, jumping 82.7 per cent over the same period.
"The recovery in the number of Chinese visitors, South Korea's largest inbound tourism market, drove the overall rise in consumption," BC Card said.
The data also suggested that foreign tourist spending was spreading beyond traditional destinations.
Spending in Seoul remained strong, with increases also recorded in districts outside major tourist areas such as Myeongdong. Payments in Busan and on Jeju Island rose 57.9 per cent and 63.7 per cent respectively.
Foreign visitors' card spending on medical services nearly doubled in the first half of 2026, rising 98 per cent from 2025. That was the fastest growth among major sectors, ahead of clothing, where spending increased 56.3 per cent.
Medical spending rose across major regions, but Seoul still accounted for 92.8 per cent of the total.
Gangnam district in Seoul, home to a dense concentration of cosmetic surgery and dermatology clinics, accounted for 39.8 per cent of medical spending by foreign visitors in the capital.
Although Gangnam remained the largest destination, its share fell 10.4 percentage points from the first half of 2025.
Seocho district's share rose 6.7 percentage points to 27.6 per cent, while Jung district's increased 3.4 percentage points to 7.5 per cent.
Dermatology accounted for 67.5 per cent of foreign visitors' medical spending, well above plastic surgery at 21.3 per cent.
That marked a reversal from the first half of 2024, when plastic surgery made up 46.2 per cent of medical spending and dermatology accounted for 32.6 per cent.
Spending on dermatology rose 109.8 per cent from the first half of 2025, while spending on plastic surgery increased 35.5 per cent.
Pharmacy spending also recorded a sharp increase, soaring 1,176.9 per cent year on year. Its share of foreign visitors' medical spending rose from 0.3 per cent in the first half of 2025 to 2 per cent in 2026.
"A new tourism ecosystem linking medical services and shopping appears to be taking shape," BC Card said.
"Medical tourism is expected to emerge as a new growth engine for inbound tourism." - The Korean Herald/ANN
