According to data released by the city government, foreign visitors spent a cumulative 8.84 trillion won (US$6.57 billion) in the capital from January to September, up 57.7 percent from a year earlier. The figure had already surpassed the 7.94 trillion won spent throughout last year.
The record spending was attributed to an increase in the number of tourists, with Seoul welcoming some 13.14 million foreign visitors during the same period, up 21.5 percent from a year earlier. Monthly spending exceeded 1 trillion won for six consecutive months since April.
Shopping accounted for the largest proportion of foreign visitors' spending at 46 percent, followed by medical services at 23.8 percent. Food and beverages accounted for 13.3 percent, while accommodation made up 10.4 percent.
Seoul's affluent district of Gangnam, south of the Han River, accounted for the largest proportion of foreign visitors' card spending at 29.6 percent, followed by the downtown shopping district of Myeongdong at 27.7 percent.
However, their spending was not limited to Seoul's traditional tourist attractions, as many visitors also ventured into other parts of the city including emerging hotspots such as Dongdaemun and Seongsu-dong.
Chinese tourists accounted for the largest group during the period with 4.2 million, followed by 2.5 million from Japan, 1.43 million from Taiwan and 930,000 from the U.S.
"We will develop more tourism programs to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore different parts of Seoul, allowing more local businesses to benefit from the growing number of foreign visitors," said Cho Seong-ho, a city official.
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