Foreign visitors to Seoul up 22 pct through August

What happened: Foreign visitors to Seoul rose about 22 percent in the first eight months of this year from the same period last year, and their credit card spending in the city climbed nearly 60 percent, per city government data. Key numbers: 11.56 million foreign tourists in January-August, up 21.6 percent on-year. Why it matters: The data points to a record January-August for foreign arrivals in Seoul, with card spending growing faster than visitor numbers, and shopping, medical and dining sectors taking the largest shares of that spending.

Foreign visitors to Seoul rose about 22 percent in the first eight months of this year from the same period last year, and their credit card spending in the city climbed nearly 60 percent, per city government data.

The data points to a record January-August for foreign arrivals in Seoul, with card spending growing faster than visitor numbers, and shopping, medical and dining sectors taking the largest shares of that spending.