Us Joins Japan And China In Shaping Travel Trends With Rising Spending On Korean K-lifestyle, Beauty Treatments, And Healthcare Tourism

Published on October 4, 2025

The surge successful recreation spending crossed South Korea is mostly driven by visitors from nan US, Japan, and China, who are progressively focused connected K-beauty and healthcare services. This increasing request for cosmetic dermatology treatments, wellness experiences, and beauty products has reshaped nan spending habits of world visitors. As these travelers activity retired Korea’s renowned beauty treatments and aesculapian services, their purchases astatine drugstores, clinics, and discount beauty stores person surged, contributing to a broader displacement successful nan tourism marketplace towards wellness and beauty-focused experiences.

The scenery of tourism successful South Korea has witnessed a notable shift, pinch paper payments surging dramatically successful sectors related to K-beauty and healthcare. In particular, visitors from awesome markets specified arsenic nan United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand person driven an awesome summation successful card-based transactions. According to a caller study by Visa, payments made pinch overseas-issued individual Visa cards astatine Korean merchants person grown by a important 26 percent year-on-year. This emergence is attributed not only to an summation successful nan number of inbound visitors but besides to nan increasing fame of experiences tied to Korean lifestyle, specified arsenic beauty treatments and healthcare services.

Tourism Boom Boosts Spending Across Key Markets

Between April 2024 and March 2025, South Korea knowledgeable a important influx of overseas visitors, pinch nan full number of inbound visitors rising from 11.03 cardinal successful 2023 to 16.37 cardinal successful 2024. This 48 percent summation successful tourer arrivals contributed straight to nan surge successful spending, particularly among travelers from nan U.S., Japan, and China, who proceed to predominate nan Korean tourism market. Together, these 3 countries accounted for complete half of each paper spending during this period.

However, nan standout performers successful position of spending maturation were Taiwan and Hong Kong. Card spending from Taiwanese travelers saw a singular summation of 54 percent, while Hong Kong visitors followed intimately pinch a 50 percent emergence successful spending compared to nan erstwhile year. These figures propose a beardown betterment and increasing liking from some regions successful experiencing Korean civilization and services.

Decline successful Spending from Thailand

In opposition to nan robust maturation from Taiwan and Hong Kong, paper spending by visitors from Thailand dropped by 14 percent. This diminution is mostly attributed to nan ongoing contention surrounding South Korea’s Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) system, which was introduced successful September 2021 to streamline introduction for travelers from 112 countries. Despite nan system’s intent of facilitating easier access, galore Thai nationals person reported repeated refusals of their K-ETA applications, fueling vexation and a consciousness of anti-Korean sentiment. As a result, less Thai visitors person opted to sojourn Korea, starring to a noticeable driblet successful spending from nan country.

Health and Beauty Sectors Drive Tourism Spending Growth

One of nan astir important changes successful tourer spending patterns has been nan increasing liking successful K-lifestyle experiences, peculiarly successful nan wellness and beauty sectors. Korean healthcare services, which see hospitals, clinics, and dermatology centers, person go awesome draws for world visitors. The healthcare assemblage unsocial accounted for 15 percent of nan full spending, pinch payments expanding by an awesome 58 percent compared to nan erstwhile year.

Cosmetic dermatology procedures, successful particular, person emerged arsenic a cardinal constituent of nan South Korean tourer experience. These treatments, including skincare and facial procedures, person go a staple for visitors seeking to clasp nan renowned K-beauty trend. Tourists are progressively seeking retired dermatology clinics that connection a scope of non-invasive treatments, solidifying nan country’s position arsenic a world hub for artistic services.

In statement pinch this trend, beauty and health-focused drugstores, which are celebrated stops for tourists, person besides seen a important emergence successful payments. Spending successful discount stores, which often characteristic a assortment of K-beauty products and health-related items, soared by 63 percent year-on-year. These stores, commonly frequented by tourists, connection a wide array of affordable skincare products, cosmetics, and wellness supplements that are successful precocious demand.

The Rise of Pharmacy-Exclusive K-Beauty Products

In summation to beauty stores, pharmacies person emerged arsenic a cardinal subordinate successful nan spending surge. The request for skincare treatments, including acne creams, betterment ointments, and exclusive K-beauty products, has driven maturation successful this sector. As nan world entreaty of K-beauty continues to grow, world visitors are progressively purchasing products from section pharmacies that are not readily disposable successful their location countries.

Many visitors find themselves drawn to K-beauty products that are tailored to circumstantial tegument concerns, specified arsenic acne aliases pigmentation. These products, often seen arsenic high-quality and affordable, person solidified Korea’s estimation arsenic a beauty and skincare destination.

Contactless Payments Experience Significant Growth

Another noteworthy inclination successful nan spending behaviour of world visitors successful Korea is nan emergence of contactless payments. Transactions made utilizing tap-to-pay exertion accounted for 15 percent of each payments, a important summation from conscionable 6 percent nan erstwhile year. This surge is chiefly driven by nan world take of EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) chip-based costs terminals, which supply greater information and convenience for cardholders.

Tourists from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, wherever contactless payments are already commonplace, recorded peculiarly precocious rates of usage. The wide acceptance of tap-to-pay exertion successful these regions has made it easier for travelers to make seamless transactions successful Korea, further enhancing nan convenience of their recreation experience.

Shifting Consumer Behavior Reflects Evolving Travel Preferences

Overall, nan information points to a broader inclination successful nan preferences of world visitors visiting Korea. While shopping remains a awesome constituent of tourism spending, location is simply a clear displacement towards experiences related to health, wellness, and beauty. As K-beauty continues to summation traction globally, and arsenic healthcare services successful Korea turn successful prominence, nan state is well-positioned to capitalize connected these evolving user trends.

The continued emergence successful inbound tourism, coupled pinch nan expanding entreaty of Korean manner experiences, suggests that nan tourism manufacture successful Korea will stay a move and quickly evolving sector. With visitors progressively seeking retired wellness and beauty treatments, arsenic good arsenic different K-lifestyle experiences, nan marketplace for specified services is apt to support increasing successful nan years ahead.

US joins Japan and China successful driving recreation spending successful South Korea arsenic visitors flock to K-beauty and healthcare services, seeking cosmetic treatments, wellness experiences, and celebrated beauty products.

South Korea’s tourism marketplace is witnessing a displacement from accepted shopping to much specialized experiences focused connected wellness and beauty. This inclination is reflected successful nan crisp emergence successful paper payments, peculiarly successful nan beauty, healthcare, and drugstore sectors, while nan expanding usage of contactless payments highlights nan increasing inclination of convenience and information among tourists. As nan world appetite for K-lifestyle experiences continues to expand, South Korea is emerging arsenic a cardinal destination for travelers seeking not only taste immersion but besides wellness and beauty services.