[Edaily Kang Gyeong-rok Travel Reporter] Ahead of China’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day golden week, the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea is surging. However, the impact of “big spenders”—who used to snap up high-end goods at duty-free shops—is expected to be less significant than in the past. This is because the trend in Chinese tourism to Korea is rapidly shifting from group tours (Yukers) and corporate-style parallel importers (Daigou) toward individual travelers (FIT, Sankers), leading to a decline in per-person spending and a dispersion of spending across various venues.

◇ While China’s total outbound travel rose 4%, Seoul saw a 50% surge
According to data released on the 24th by the Ministry of Commerce’s Service Trade Network, citing the “2026 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Travel Outlook Report” from the air travel platform Hanglie Zhongheng, reservations for international flights departing from China from the 25th of this month through the 7th of next month totaled 1.21 million tickets, an increase of about 4% compared to the same period last year.
Demand for travel to South Korea stands out. During the same period, flight reservations to Seoul surged by more than 50% compared to the same period last year. This figure is not only higher than the growth rates for major overseas destinations such as Singapore, Hanoi, and London (in the 20% range) but also more than ten times the growth rate of China’s overall international flight reservations. China accounts for an overwhelming share of South Korea’s inbound tourism market (foreigners traveling to South Korea). According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of foreign visitors to Seoul reached a record high of 1.61 million in July, with Chinese tourists accounting for 600,000 (37.3%)—far outpacing visitors from Japan (250,000) and Taiwan (200,000).
Although the number of Chinese visitors to Korea has surged, reactions in the retail industry are mixed. While department stores and local shopping districts are enjoying a boom, duty-free shops—which were traditionally major beneficiaries—are facing growing concerns. Foreign sales at the Shinsegae Department Store flagship store from January through August this year soared 231% compared to the same period last year. In contrast, the sales growth rate from Chinese customers at Lotte Duty Free during the same period was limited to 41%.
In particular, the “quality” of consumption has changed. From January to August of this year, the number of Chinese shoppers visiting Lotte Duty Free increased by 74% compared to the previous year, but the actual average spending per Chinese customer decreased by 19%. This is because four out of every ten customers (39%) were independent travelers (FIT), who tend to spend relatively less. The share of FITs—which stood at just 11% during the same period two years ago (2024), reflecting the base effect before Chinese group tours gained full momentum—has surged significantly in a short period to 39% this year. However, the influence of “daigou” (personal shoppers), who used to drive sales by bulk-buying cosmetics and other items, has diminished. This effectively shatters the old formula where an influx of tourists directly translated into massive profits for duty-free shops.

◇Decline in Shopping; Consumption Diversifies Toward K-Medical, Beauty, and Dining
Individual tourists are opening their wallets for medical and wellness services and experiential consumption instead of duty-free shopping. An analysis of foreign credit card spending in Seoul from January to July of this year (6.688 trillion won) showed that while shopping accounted for the largest share at 46.4%, medical and wellness (24.4%) and food and beverage (13.1%) saw particularly strong growth. Compared to the same period last year, spending on medical tourism increased by 63.9%, and spending at general restaurants rose by 56.4%.
Demand for regional tourism is also on the rise. According to the accommodation platform AllMyTour, domestic accommodation bookings by Chinese travelers during this holiday period increased by 6.5% compared to the same period last year, with the highest growth rates by region recorded in Busan (119.5%), Jeju (29.0%), and Incheon (23.1%). (Note: This reflects the effect of expanded supply, as the number of contracted accommodation facilities on the platform increased by 109% year-over-year.)
A tourism industry official analyzed, “While the Chinese tourism market has entered a clear recovery phase starting with this National Day holiday, the nature of the benefits enjoyed by the domestic tourism industry has changed completely from the past,” adding, “It is time to gauge the actual economic impact through qualitative indicators—such as average hotel room rates and sales by commercial district—rather than simply focusing on the increase in the number of visitors (Q).”