Saito Sayuri (21), who is studying abroad at a university in Seoul, is often busy these days guiding friends visiting from Japan. However, she said the travel itineraries are made by the friends after checking Instagram or TikTok. "They know better than I do what's trending in Seoul," Saito said.
Her friends mostly take photos while enjoying desserts like pretty cakes at stylish cafes in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, and buy clothes and perfumes. Then they buy "cute and pretty" accessories at a knickknack shop near Hongik Univ. Station, rent hanbok in Seochon, and stop by Gyeongbok Palace. Soy sauce marinated crab is a must, but they rarely go to Namdaemun or Dongdaemun markets. They shop at Olive Young or street shops in front of Hongdae. Saito said, "My mother doesn't go to Namdaemun Market either. We also ate soy sauce marinated crab near Hongik Univ. Station."
In this way, traditional tourist spots favored by foreign visitors have declined, and places trending on social media (SNS) have emerged as new attractions.
◇Foreign tourist visits to Namdaemun down 11.5%… Seongsu-dong up 69.8%
According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on the 7th, 12.38 million foreign tourists visited Korea from January to August this year, a 16% increase from the same period last year. Compared with the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, it was up 7.9%. Seoul is where the most tourists gather. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 1.36 million foreign tourists visited Seoul in Jul. this year, up 23.1% from Jul. last year (1.1 million).
However, traditional tourist spots were shunned. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) uses mobile network data provided by SK Telecom to estimate, by neighborhood, how many foreign tourists visited and releases the figures monthly.
According to this data, about 314,000 foreign tourists visited Hoehyeon-dong in Jung District, where Namdaemun Market is located, in Aug. this year. In Aug. last year, it was 355,000. That is an 11.5% drop in one year. Jongno 5,6-ga-dong in Jongno District, where Dongdaemun Market is located, was similar. During the same period, foreign tourists fell from about 164,000 to 117,000, down 28.5%.
The area with the biggest increase in foreign tourists was Seongsu-dong in Seongdong District. About 435,000 foreign tourists visited in Aug. this year, compared with 256,000 a year earlier. That is a 69.8% increase.
◇Visitors to Seochon up 29.8%… "restricted entry" in Bukchon up 14.7%
Foreign tourists visiting Yeonnam-dong in Mapo District, near Hongik Univ. Station, also increased 30.7% in the same period, from about 72,000 to 95,000. This area is also lined with stylish cafes and knickknack shops.
Foreign tourists visiting Cheongunhyoja-dong, where Seochon is located, rose 29.8% from about 88,000 in Aug. last year to 115,000 in Sep. this year. With Gyeongbok Palace located here, visitors can rent hanbok and stroll through the palace. It is easy to find videos of foreign YouTubers recommending Seochon's cafes. Tongin Market is also one of Seoul's popular traditional markets.
Bukchon, which like Seochon has a hanok village, slowed somewhat. Foreign tourists visiting Gahoe-dong rose from about 108,000 in Aug. last year to 123,000 in Aug. this year, up only 14.7%. As heavy tourist traffic in Bukchon Hanok Village caused inconvenience to residents, Jongno District from Mar. this year restricted outsiders from entering before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
◇Foreign visitors to Mangwon Market, skewed to the west of Seoul, up 44% in one year
Among traditional markets, Mangwon Market's growth stood out. Foreign tourist visits to Mangwon 1-dong in Mapo District increased 44.7%, from about 20,000 in Aug. last year to 29,000 in Aug. this year. A resident of Mangwon-dong, a person surnamed Shin (40), said, "Mangwon Market is skewed to the west of Seoul and public transportation is inconvenient, but people still get off the subway and transfer to a village bus to come."
By contrast, foreign tourists visiting Jongno 1,2,3,4-ga-dong, which includes Gwangjang Market, Insadong, and Ikseon-dong, rose only 3.9%, from about 508,000 to 528,000. Gwangjang Market has faced repeated "price gouging controversies" in recent years. In Nov. 2023, when a travel YouTuber ordered a 15,000-won assorted jeon with foreign acquaintances, only nine to 10 bite-sized pieces of jeon were served.
On the evening of the 30th last month, shop owners at Gwangjang Market were incessantly calling out to passing tourists in Japanese, Chinese, and English, but the customers eating there did not give good reviews. A Japanese tourist eating live octopus and tteokbokki said, "The octopus is fascinating, but I'm not sure if the other dishes are tasty."