SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / MENA Newswire / – Foreign tourist spending in South Korea reached a record 1.41 trillion won, or about $911 million, in May, as inbound card use rose sharply from a year earlier. The Korea Tourism Organization said spending by foreign visitors increased 73.7 percent year on year. May also marked the third straight month that foreign tourist spending stayed above 1 trillion won.
Shopping and beauty wellness lead South Korea’s foreign tourist spending.
The record came during a period of higher inbound travel to South Korea. Foreign arrivals reached 1.95 million in May, up 19.4 percent from a year earlier. In the first five months of 2026, the country received 8.72 million foreign visitors. That was a 21 percent increase from the same period last year, based on preliminary tourism data.
South Korea also passed 10 million foreign arrivals during the third week of June. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the mark came about a month earlier than last year. The 2026 pace placed inbound tourism ahead of the comparable 2025 period. China remained the largest source market in May, followed by Japan and other major Asian markets.
Shopping leads spending
Shopping accounted for 39.1 percent of foreign tourist spending in May, the largest share among tracked sectors. Beauty and wellness ranked second at 21.1 percent. Fashion made up 14.3 percent, while lifestyle food accounted for 11.9 percent. The figures show that travel spending in South Korea covered retail, services, personal care and food purchases.
Earlier May card data showed foreign tourist spending above 2 trillion won for the first time under a broader card-spending measure. That dataset placed inbound card spending at 2.12 trillion won, up 67.1 percent from a year earlier. Spending by Chinese visitors more than tripled in that measure. Shopping, transportation, medical and wellness services, and food and beverage all recorded strong yearly gains.
Visitor flows rise
Chinese mainland visitors totaled about 560,000 in May. Visitors from Taiwan reached about 190,000, while Hong Kong arrivals stood near 60,000. Japan ranked second as a source market with about 360,000 visitors. Long-haul arrivals from Europe and the Americas also totaled about 360,000. Those markets helped lift overall inbound travel during the month.
The latest data points to a broad rebound in South Korea tourism spending, with foreign visitors using cards across major consumer categories. Seoul shopping districts, beauty services, fashion outlets and food businesses remained central to the monthly total. The record May figure placed tourism consumption among South Korea’s notable domestic demand indicators for 2026.