Largest Spenders in Seoul: Taiwanese Tourists

According to a report released by a think tank in the South Korean capital, Taiwanese tourists were the biggest spenders in Seoul last year and the number of tourists to

Seoul exceeded 10 million for the first time in 2013.

A research institute based in Seoul published a report labeled “Proposal to enhance tourism quality of Seoul”. The report says that travelers from Taiwan spent on average US$1,356 in Seoul, the highest among all travelers. The count of foreign tourists to South Korea reached 12.17 million in 2013, which was a 9.3-percent increase from 2012.

The data shows that tourists spent on average US$1,314 during their stay in Seoul, which more than doubled the figure from 2007. The top three biggest spenders are Taiwanese, Chinese, and Japanese. The number of Japanese travelers to Seoul declined from 2.9 million in 2012 to 2.26 million in 2013, which was a 22 percent decline. The number of Chinese tourists increased from 2.34 million in 2012 to 3.57 million in 2013, which was a 53-percent increase.