K-Food Becomes Essential for Foreign Tourists as Numbers Reach 10 Million

“I always buy ramen and seaweed when I come to Korea. This time, I also bought several snacks that my friends asked for,” said Satomi, a 34-year-old tourist from Japan, as she filled her shopping basket at Lotte Mart's Zeta Plex location near Seoul Station on August 11. “I stopped here because it’s the last place I can shop for various items before heading to the airport,” she added, noting she was looking for gifts for her colleagues back home.

The presence of K-Food is increasingly prominent in the shopping baskets of foreign tourists visiting Korea. Items such as ramen, seaweed, snacks, and beverages have made their way into shopping lists that were once dominated by cosmetics and luxury goods. In the first half of this year, the number of foreign tourists reached 10.71 million, with tourism spending exceeding 10 trillion won, establishing K-Food as a key consumer content in inbound tourism.

According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, 80.1% of foreign tourists engaged in shopping during their travels in the second quarter of this year. Culinary tourism followed closely at 79.2%, while sightseeing accounted for 57.2%. Among the items purchased by foreign tourists, food products made up 56.9%, ranking second after perfumes and cosmetics at 75.3%, and surpassing clothing at 49.1%. Notably, the food purchase rate increased by 2.9 percentage points from 54.0% in the second quarter of last year, indicating a shift in shopping demand from cosmetics to everyday food products enjoyed by Koreans.

The number of inbound tourists is also growing rapidly. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, 10,709,919 foreign tourists visited Korea from January to June this year, marking a 21.3% increase compared to the same period last year and a 26.9% rise compared to the first half of 2019.

The shopping venues for foreign tourists are expanding to everyday retail channels such as large shopping malls and convenience stores. In the second quarter of this year, the usage rate of large shopping malls among foreign tourists rose to 40.7%, up 2.3 percentage points from 38.4% during the same period last year. The usage rate of convenience stores also increased from 20.4% to 24.8%, a rise of 4.4 percentage points.

This trend is reflected in actual purchasing data. A report by Lotte Members analyzing the consumption patterns of foreign tourists from April 2025 to May 2026 revealed that the top-selling item among foreign customers at Lotte Mart's Zeta Plex location was 'Paldo & Yangban Seaweed Soup Ramen.' Other popular items included Lotte Wellfood's 'Zero Fruit Jelly,' 'Zero Crunch Chocolate Balls,' and 'Zero Cocoa Cake.' This indicates that not only well-known products but also foods encountered for the first time in Korean retail channels are becoming popular purchases.

Regional consumption patterns also highlight a clear preference for K-Food. Among foreign tourists using Lotte Department Store and Lotte Mart in Busan, tourists from Taiwan accounted for more than half. Their purchasing rates were 81% for snacks, 69% for packaged ramen, and 61% for processed seaweed products.

The interest of tourists aligns with the growth of the actual export market. In the first half of this year, agricultural and food exports reached $5.3819 billion, a 5.0% increase from the previous year, marking the highest level ever. By region, the Middle East accounted for 25.2%, Latin America 19.5%, Europe 17.9%, and North America 11.0%. Notably, exports of ramen, snacks, and beverages have driven this growth.

The government is also linking the popularity of K-Food to regional tourism. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to operate a 'K-Gourmet Belt' starting in 2024, featuring traditional foods such as sauces, kimchi, ginseng, and traditional liquor as regional tourism resources. This year, they added a 'K-Chicken Belt' that connects various chicken dishes, including fried chicken, samgyetang, and dakgangjeong, to local attractions. In June, a map was released that combines chicken dishes, traditional liquor, and tourist sites nationwide.

An industry insider noted, “The interest of foreign tourists is rapidly expanding from famous representative products to foods that Korean consumers actually enjoy. The purchasing experience in Korea can lead to repurchases and local demand after returning home, making inbound tourists an important touchpoint for the food industry.”