South Korea’s Tourism Growth Fueled By K-beauty, Fried Chicken And Cultural Landmarks, Get The Details Here

Published on November 29, 2025

In nan past mates of years, South Korea has knowledgeable a roar successful world tourism, pinch galore overseas travelers participating successful nan country’s manner shopping, visiting museums, and going to different places of interest. This surge was peculiarly evident correct aft nan Gyeongju APEC negotiated acme successful precocious October, which served to showcase South Korea’s entreaty to diplomats and visitors alike. South Korea’s worldwide taste influence, successful particular, is nan driving unit down nan boost of world visitors to nan country, and tourism arsenic a whole.

The Growing Popularity of Lifestyle Stores successful Korea

One of nan astir important trends contributing to South Korea’s rising tourism numbers is nan expanding fame of manner stores specified arsenic Olive Young and Kkanbu Chicken. These stores are becoming must-visit destinations for overseas visitors looking to acquisition authentic Korean products.

For example, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt visited nan Hwangnam branch of Olive Young successful Gyeongju during nan APEC summit, wherever she shared her acquisition purchasing Korean skincare products connected societal media. Similarly, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s viral endorsement of Kkanbu Chicken’s fried wings successful Seoul created a nationalist sensation, pinch a surge successful orders pursuing his praise.

Such high-profile endorsements person sparked liking successful these section stores, which not only connection unsocial Korean products but besides supply an immersive taste acquisition for visitors. As these stores go progressively popular, they thief style nan world image of South Korea, further boosting nan country’s tourism appeal.

Surge successful Foreign Shoppers astatine Specialty Retailers

The fame of specialty unit outlets for illustration Olive Young has seen a notable shift, pinch overseas shoppers progressively opting for these stores complete accepted downtown duty-free shops. In 2025, overseas shoppers accounted for 26.4% of full income astatine Olive Young stores crossed nan country. This inclination underscores a increasing request for specialized, culturally important products alternatively than generic, mass-produced goods.

Additionally, conception stores for illustration Kyochon Pilbang successful Itaewon person seen much than 80% of their visitors coming from abroad. These stores, which merge elements of East Asian aesthetics, are highly celebrated pinch world tourists, providing them pinch some a shopping acquisition and a heavy taste connection.

Museums and Cultural Sites: Rising Attractions for Tourists

Beyond manner stores, Korea’s museums and taste sites person besides knowledgeable a spike successful overseas visitant numbers. For instance, nan National Museum of Korea successful Yongsan District saw 190,052 overseas visitors betwixt January and October 2025, a number expected to summation further owed to nan occurrence of Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” which has sparked world liking successful Korean culture.

Other celebrated destinations, specified arsenic Artbox and The Hyundai Seoul shopping promenade successful Yeouido, person besides seen a emergence successful overseas visitors. At The Hyundai Seoul, overseas shopping income accrued dramatically, from conscionable 3.3% successful 2022 to 15.2% successful 2025, indicating nan increasing power of Korea’s modern civilization connected tourists.

The rising fame of these non-traditional attractions, alongside iconic landmarks for illustration N Seoul Tower and Gyeongbok Palace, demonstrates really Korea is becoming a destination that blends some taste and modern experiences, appealing to a wide scope of world travelers.

Social Media’s Role successful Shaping Tourism Trends

The power of societal media platforms for illustration YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram cannot beryllium understated successful nan emergence of these caller tourer hotspots. Many of nan destinations gaining fame among overseas visitors, specified arsenic Daiso stores and Kyochon Pilbang, person been featured successful viral posts, pinch users sharing their experiences of shopping for unsocial items aliases enjoying section food. This vulnerability has helped move these locations into must-visit destinations for travelers looking to acquisition authentic Korean culture.

In particular, nan emergence of K-beauty products and nan world fame of Korean fried chickenhearted person made it easier for visitors to link pinch Korea’s taste personality successful a tangible way. The dispersed of these trends crossed societal media platforms has importantly influenced nan tourism industry, peculiarly among younger generations who are eager to prosecute pinch nan latest trends.

Rising Numbers of International Tourists

As a consequence of these factors, nan number of overseas visitors visiting South Korea has skyrocketed. In 2025, overseas visitant numbers surged by 48.4%, reaching 16.37 million, up from 11.03 cardinal successful 2023. This summation is mostly attributed to nan world occurrence of Korean content, pinch countries for illustration China, Japan, Taiwan, and nan U.S. starring nan measurement successful visitant numbers.

Experts task that nan number of inbound overseas visitors will proceed to turn astatine an yearly complaint of 7.1%, perchance reaching 23 cardinal by 2029. This maturation is driven by some nan world occurrence of Korean intermezo and nan country’s expanding efforts to beforehand aesculapian tourism and nan Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector.

Challenges and Opportunities successful South Korea’s Tourism Sector

Despite nan affirmative growth, South Korea’s tourism assemblage faces respective challenges. A cardinal rumor is nan shortage of home workers successful nan tourism industry, pinch galore tourism-related businesses struggling to capable staffing positions. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported that 80% of businesses successful nan assemblage are experiencing labour shortages, exacerbated by nan declining number of students enrolling successful tourism and hospitality programs.

Additionally, while Seoul and adjacent cities for illustration Incheon and Gyeonggi predominate successful position of overseas visitant numbers, only 7.8% of visitors task extracurricular nan superior region. This imbalance underscores nan request for much divers location tourism offerings and infrastructure improvements to promote recreation to lesser-visited areas specified arsenic Jeju Island and Busan.

Despite these challenges, experts judge that pinch nan correct policies and investments successful infrastructure, South Korea tin capitalize connected nan momentum of its tourism growth. Expanding location tourism offerings, improving labour conditions, and enhancing promotional campaigns will beryllium cardinal to sustaining this maturation successful nan coming years.

Korea’s Growing Appeal arsenic a Cultural and Shopping Destination

The Country’s tourism industries continues to prosper pinch manner stores, museums and taste sites attracting millions of tourists. Spending money connected infrastructure is going to let South Korea to support it’s position arsenic important world tourism destination. South Korea is simply a taste powerhouse and continues to beryllium a world traveler favourite to societal media’s power and nan world occurrence of location intermezo industry.