Foreign tourist arrivals in Seoul surge in April
The Seoul Metropolitan Government reported that foreign tourist arrivals reached 1.56 million in April, marking an 18.8% increase year-on-year, Qazinform News Agency cites Yonhap.
Foreign visitors spent 1.15 trillion won (763 million US dollars) via card transactions in Seoul, up 50.5% from last year.
Seoul accounted for 72.3% of nationwide foreign card spending, excluding online purchases.
By spending categories, shopping malls account for 245.2 billion won, medical services hit 192.1 billion won, and beauty-related purchases rose by 35%.
By districts, Gangnam constitutes 29.1% of total spending, Jung District - 27.5%, and Mapo District - 7.4%.
Chinese tourists represented the largest group of foreign tourists at 440,000, followed by Japanese visitors at 230,000, Taiwanese visitors at 150,000 and American visitors at 130,000.
Chinese arrivals rose 12.6% compared to April 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This January–April, 5.2 million foreign visitors visited Seoul, up 21.4% from the same period last year.
Notably, Kazakhstan’s tourism potential showcased in Shanghai.
