Foreign tourists in central Seoul’s Myeong-dong, Feb. 14 / Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
U.S. inbound travelers spent the most in Korea last year, powered by growing demand to experience local culture due to the rise in global popularity of Korea’s entertainment industry and pop culture, data showed Tuesday.
China’s spending in Korea by comparison remains stagnant due to Beijing’s years-long travel curbs, and has yet to pick up despite the resumption of Korea-bound group travel in the fourth quarter of last year.
Inbound tourists to Korea spent their money on food, beverages and singing rooms. In addition, they preferred large retail malls to department stores and duty free shops.
According to data from BC Card, U.S. tourists’ consumption accounted for 19.8 percent of the total foreign tourism spending last year, up 13.8 percentage points from 6 percent in 2019.
Japan was the next big spender, registering an increase of 7.7 percentage points, followed by Taiwan, the U.K. and Thailand.
