Korea Tourism Organization announces analysis of K-shopping paradigm shift\nPreferring substance and taste instead of high-end products…”Gacha Shop” has increased significantly
Recently, an increasing number of foreigners are visiting Korea amid the global K-wave. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of foreigners visiting Korea from January to October this year was 15.82 million, exceeding 14.589 million in the same period of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
So what kind of consumption are they spending in Korea. The Korea Tourism Organization analyzed and announced the “shopping” trend, which ranks first in the total tourism spending of foreigners visiting Korea.
Foreign credit card payment data from 2018 to September 2025 of the Korea Tourism Data Lab were used for this analysis.
Shopping accounts for 51% of the total tourism expenditure of foreigners visiting Korea, and shopping is a key pillar of understanding the structure of tourism consumption and the most important indicator of changes in the constitution of the tourism industry.
Comparing 2019 and 2025, the way foreigners shop has completely changed. The average expenditure per purchase decreased from 150,000 won to 120,000 won. On the other hand, the total amount of consumption per person surged 83%.
The reason for the increase in spending despite the lower unit price is the number of purchases, which soared by 124%. Rather than focusing on one or two high-priced products as in the past, the method of purchasing several low-end products with high cost-effectiveness has become a new standard for Korean tourism.
In particular, the consumption of small and light “K-Life Style Props” containing Korean sensibilities and tastes is exploding. From January to September 2025, the number of foreigners’ card payments increased significantly in ▲ Gacha Shop (142.0%), ▲ Stationery (48.7%), and ▲ Bookstore (39.9%) compared to the same period last year.
Gacha Shop, a collection of vending machines with random capsule toys when you turn coins in and out, has recently become popular not only with foreign tourists but also with the younger generation.
The growth of “Artbox,” the representative of “Korean emotional phrases,” is also remarkable. It has grown evenly from airport and transportation important areas to local commercial districts such as ▲ Yeongjongdo Island (550.0%), ▲ Seoul Issu (325.0%), ▲ Seomyeon (85.4%) in Busan.
This shows that the consumption method is shifting away from the consumption of “big shopping bags” centered on ready-made souvenirs in the past to sophisticated lifestyle collection reflecting personal tastes and emotions.
As of 2025 (January-September), the number of fashion consumption by foreign visitors to Korea also increased by 23.4%. Among them, ▲ accessories (33.0%), ▲ sportswear (32.8%), ▲ sports goods (33.4%), and ▲ underwear (59.1%) led the growth.
Underwear is one of the items that has grown even sharper since the pandemic. Japan (16.7%) and the United States (15.8%) are the main consumers, and recently Singapore (139%) and Taiwan (114%) have also seen explosive increases.
By region, Seongsu 2-ga 1-dong (650 percent) in Seoul expanded the fastest, while Myeong-dong (62.9 percent) and Yeonnam-dong (13.9 percent) in Seoul also showed stable upward trends.
The background of this change was a combination of K-fashion’s unique high design completeness, reasonable price, and a price structure that is easier to purchase several because the price burden is lower than that of the clothing product.
The consumption of beauty and health products by foreign visitors to Korea has been growing for several years. Following the annual average increase of 19.1% between 2018 and 2024, it grew 40.4% in 2025, and K-beauty and K-health have become key consumption areas for visiting Korea.
▲Cosmetics (35%), ▲Pharmaceuticals (67%), and ▲Health Foods (75%) all recorded high growth rates. In the beauty sector, Olive Young has grown rapidly not only in traditional commercial districts such as Myeong-dong and Gangnam, but also in various regions such as ▲ Sungsu Federation (381%), ▲ Gyeongbok Palace Station (425%) ▲ Songdo Premium Outlet (536%) in Incheon.
The spread of beauty consumption is naturally leading to an increase in pharmacy consumption. Outpatients are no longer buying medicines for sick, but are looking for everyday wellness products such as skin and nutrition care.
Ointments, pain relief patches, nutritional supplements, and emergency medicines are popular, and pharmacy consumption has increased significantly in Taiwan (342%) and Lithuania (304%). The growth of the Korean health food market is the most prominent among them. Health foods centered on red ginseng and ginseng increased by 75.1% in 2025, recording the highest growth rate among K-beauty and K-health-related items.
Lee Mi-sook, head of the tourism data strategy team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “The shift of foreigners’ shopping methods from high prices to practical consumption centered on daily life, taste, and wellness means that Korea’s lifestyle and K-content are expanding their influence in the global tourism market. Based on this trend, the corporation will continue to provide effective insights for the industry to respond to new demand.”
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