K-content is redrawing the consumption map for foreign tourists in South Korea. A new analysis shows spending has clearly shifted away from duty-free shopping by Chinese tour groups toward budget-friendly stores like convenience shops and road shops, pharmacy shopping, and experiential consumption such as hanbok rentals, bathhouses, and dermatology clinics.
According to the "Living Like a Korean: The Tourism Map Drawn by K-Content" report released by Hana Institute of Finance on the 24th, foreign shopping behavior is moving from duty-free stores toward budget-friendly shops and experiential consumption, driven by content influence. The institute analyzed that consumption patterns have changed from duty-free spending by Chinese tour groups to frequent small purchases at convenience stores and road shops.
Per-capita duty-free spending by foreigners fell from $878.90 in the third quarter of 2019 to $607.90 in the third quarter of last year. Meanwhile, the share of road shop purchases rose from 45% in 2023 to 49% in 2024.
Pharmacy sales growth has been particularly notable. As Korean pharmacy shopping content gained attention on short-form video platforms, demand grew not only for nutritional supplements but also for pharmacy-sold cosmetics. Foreign spending at pharmacies reached 141.4 billion won ($103 million) last year, up 142.2% year-over-year. Large pharmacies targeting tourists are expanding in major tourist areas including Myeongdong, Seongsu, and Gangnam, with nine new pharmacies opening in Myeongdong last year.
The practical consumption trend continues to favor "Ol-Da-Mu"—Olive Young, Daiso, and Musinsa. Olive Young's foreign purchases exceeded 1 trillion won last year. Musinsa's foreign sales at offline stores in Myeongdong, Seongsu, and Hannam rose approximately 49% year-over-year in October last year. The report noted, "Musinsa operates foreigner-specialized stores offering on-site tax refunds, unmanned currency exchange machines, and luggage storage services, driven by surging demand from young Chinese tourists who prefer K-fashion." Foreign spending at Olive Young, Daiso, and Musinsa in 2024 increased 106%, 49%, and 343% respectively compared to 2023.
As K-content expands into everyday life, "dailycation"—a portmanteau of "daily" and "vacation"—has emerged as a key keyword, referring to tourists directly experiencing Korean daily activities seen in content. Representative examples include wearing hanbok, getting scrubbed at bathhouses, receiving acupuncture at traditional Korean medicine clinics, taking makeup classes, and getting nail art.
Medical tourism spending is also shifting from plastic surgery toward dermatology and wellness. Medical tourism spending last year increased 438% compared to 2019. Dermatology's share of total medical spending expanded from 21.1% in 2019 to 57.4% in 2025. Foreign revenue from beauty-related wellness services including hair salons, makeup, and nail care reached 561.8 billion won last year, up 66.5% from 2019. In contrast, plastic surgery's share of medical spending fell from 33.4% to 23.1% over the same period.
The report advised, "To match changing consumption patterns, there is a need to expand QR payment options at major tourist sites and increase stores offering instant tax refund services to maximize convenience for individual travelers. Services that design hyper-personalized K-life itineraries are also anticipated." It added, "Beyond short-term shopping tourism, there is a need to qualitatively improve tourists' consumption structure by encouraging long-stay spending and stimulating repeat visits through customized content development that targets segmented preferences."