The Korea Tourism Organization announced on Sunday that Seoul ranked 7th in terms of visits by foreign tourists in 2016, citing the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2017. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – New data from Mastercard has revealed that Seoul is the 7th most visited city by international tourists in the world.
The Korea Tourism Organization announced on Sunday that Seoul ranked 7th in terms of visits by foreign tourists in 2016, citing the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2017.
The South Korean capital was visited by no fewer than 12.39 million foreign nationals, up three spots from the year before.
Bangkok ranked first with over 19 million international tourists, followed by London, Paris, Dubai, Singapore and New York.
Other Asian cities including Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Istanbul all ranked in the top 10 after Seoul.
When it came to tourist spending, Dubai ranked first, with each visitor spending nearly $1,916 on average.
International tourists spent $17 billion in New York, $16.1 billion in London and $1.41 billion in Bangkok.
Foreign tourists in Seoul spent an average of $758.70, for an aggregate total of $9.4 billion.
Over 56 percent of expenditures in Seoul by foreign tourists were related to shopping, the highest percentage among the cities on the list, leaving behind London, Osaka and Tokyo.
International tourists spent $92.1 billion in the Asia-Pacific region in 2016, while the figures for Europe and North America stood at $74.7 billion and $55 billion, respectively.
M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
