Seoul's 'beauty upgrades' at heart of holiday travel surge

For Chinese traveler Xiao Yu, her Spring Festival holiday in Seoul was not just about shopping and sightseeing — it was a carefully planned trip for a "beauty upgrade".

She was among a surging wave of Chinese tourists who redirected outbound travel plans to South Korea during the break.

South Korean government projections and local media estimates suggested the country could receive up to 250,000 Chinese visitors during the holiday period, with daily arrivals jumping 44 percent year-on-year. Chinese tourists were expected to contribute roughly $330 million in spending.

The influx delivered an immediate boost to local retail hubs such as Seoul's Myeongdong shopping district, where merchants said Chinese tourists accounted for as much as 80 to 90 percent of holiday foot traffic. Retailers expanded Chinese-language services and optimized mobile payment options including Alipay and WeChat Pay, said local media.

Spending patterns have evolved, with industry observers noting that Chinese travelers have shifted away from pre-pandemic bulk purchasing toward brand experiences, lifestyle consumption and cultural engagement — a transition that improves both spending structure and average transaction value.

The cross-border travel boom was reciprocal. According to Chinese travel platform Qunar, while Seoul ranked among the top outbound destinations, South Korea was the largest source country of foreign visitors traveling to China to experience Chinese New Year festivities.

Experts attribute this surge in two-way travel to policy tailwinds and shifting regional dynamics.

"The surge in cross-border travel can be attributed to several factors. First, visa facilitation policies have been a key driver," said Wu Liyun, a professor at the China Academy of Culture and Tourism at Beijing International Studies University." With travel procedures becoming more convenient, exchanges between China and South Korea have clearly entered a new phase."

Geographic proximity and cultural affinity have long made the two nations important tourism markets for one another. Wu added that South Korea's current appeal has also been strengthened by what analysts call a "reflection effect" from Japan's stalled tourism appeal.

For many Chinese visitors, the draw of South Korea extends well beyond shopping and sightseeing.

Medical beauty treatments have become a major driver of travel to Seoul, where dermatology and cosmetic clinics cluster. A growing number of young travelers now design "travel-and-beauty" itineraries that combine tourism with minimally invasive procedures requiring little recovery time.

On Chinese social media platform RedNote, users posted Spring Festival travel diaries describing "three-day skin renewal trips" and shared before-and-after images following laser toning, hydration therapy and contouring injections. One widely shared post detailed a schedule combining shopping in Myeongdong, a clinic consultation in Gangnam and cafe visits during recovery periods. Another post described a lunchtime skin booster session that allowed the traveler to resume sightseeing the same day.

Pricing remains the core catalyst. Xiao noted that popular injectable treatments such as Sculptra, a collagen stimulator, cost around 770,000 won ($533) per vial at South Korean clinics, compared with 16,800 yuan ($2,441) to 18,800 yuan on the Chinese mainland.

"The cost in South Korea is a fraction of the domestic price, making it highly cost-effective even when factoring in flights and hotels," Xiao said.

However, the financial dynamics of South Korea's medical tourism are shifting. A decade-long policy offering a 10 percent value-added tax refund for foreign medical tourists expired on Dec 31. To remain competitive, many clinics have introduced direct discounts or cashback promotions of 5 to 10 percent to retain price-sensitive customers.

While the overseas medical tourism market remains lucrative, Chinese authorities have warned travelers to remain cautious. The Chinese embassy in South Korea issued a holiday advisory urging citizens to verify the legal credentials of clinics and practitioners, and to remain vigilant against illegal "ghost surgeries".

lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn