[Thinking of Seoul While Walking] The Tourism Boom That Changed Seoul's Urban Space

14th Among World's Top 100 Tourist Cities
Rapid Increase in Hotels Near Sadaemun
Bukchon and Seochon Houses Transform into Commercial Areas
Tourists and Office Workers Mix, Creating Crowds
Tourist Overload Like Venice and Kyoto
Resident Life Disrupted by Overtourism
New Challenge: Sustainable Tourist City

After the relaxation of entry restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to Korea in May 2022. It had been two years. Foreign tourists were few, and Myeongdong, which was always crowded with tourists, was empty.

The situation in May 2024, when I visited again, was completely different. Myeongdong was packed with foreign tourists as before, and there were many foreigners at major tourist spots throughout Seoul. In just two years, Myeongdong experienced a transformation from an empty ghost town to a place overflowing with crowds, becoming a symbolic street showing the trends of tourist decline and increase.

Myeongdong tells us more. The changes surrounding Myeongdong took place within a larger context. The number of tourists in Seoul, which had hardly increased during the first decade of the 21st century, surged from the early 2010s. The number of foreigners visiting Korea was 5.3 million in 2000 and 7.8 million in 2010, but it sharply increased to 13.2 million in 2015 and soared to 17.5 million around 2019, just before the pandemic. Not all of these visitors came to Seoul solely for tourism, but the proportion of tourists was certainly significant. From this perspective, Seoul became a city frequently visited by foreigners starting in 2010. According to a recent report by the British consulting firm Euromonitor International, Seoul ranked 14th among 100 cities visited by international tourists in 2023. Paris was first.

The foreign tourist boom greatly influenced the urban spatial changes in Seoul during the 2010s. The easiest change to notice was the increase in hotels. Until the 2010s, the number of tourists did not increase, so building new hotels, especially within the Four Great Gates area (Sadaemun), was rare. As tourist numbers surged in the 2010s and accommodations became insufficient, new hotels began to be built here and there. Hotels were established mainly in commercial areas inside the Four Great Gates, and the main customers of surrounding shops started to become foreigners. This change gradually spread to areas adjacent to the Four Great Gates. In places like Gongdeok and Hongdae, where there were almost no hotels before, the number of hotels increased significantly due to the convenience of using the Airport Railroad, and foreigners also increased.

Foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong, Seoul. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

It was not just hotels. The 2010s can be called the era of Airbnb, as renting a single room or an entire house became popular. In Seoul, tourists began to appear in areas densely packed with one-room apartments or officetel complexes where there had been no tourists at all. There were many foreigners, but also many Koreans. In neighborhoods like Bukchon and Seochon, where many hanok (traditional Korean houses) remain, 'hanok guesthouses' emerged, and many houses transformed into commercial spaces. As a result, neighborhoods that were mainly residential became places with a large floating population.

Although the 2010s tourist boom was centered on foreigners, tourists visiting Seoul were not only foreigners. As incomes rose and lifestyles changed, Koreans also began traveling to Seoul, and the number of those staying overnight increased. Seoul emerged as a major domestic tourist destination. Due to the rapid increase in the number of overnight visitors, both domestic and foreign, Seoul began to show scenes where tourists and office workers mixed and crowded in major commercial areas, similar to New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo.

But what do these tourists actually do when they come to Seoul? Until before the 2000s, their itinerary was generally similar: visiting traditional cultural heritage sites like Gyeongbokgung Palace, tasting Korean food, and shopping at duty-free shops. After the Korean Wave (Hallyu) began in the 2000s, the number of tourists interested in popular culture increased. During the 'Yonsama' (Bae Yong-joon) craze in Japan, the number of middle-aged Japanese women visiting filming locations like Joongang High School increased, and with the K-pop boom in the 2010s, the number of young fans visiting Korea grew.

Foreign tourists dressed in hanbok are taking selfies while touring Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

Tourism in the 2010s globally shifted from just sightseeing to experiencing, and this turning point also influenced the types of tourism in Korea. Instead of taking a tour bus to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, it became common to see foreigners renting hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), walking slowly, and taking selfies. As Korean popular culture became globally known, interest in food culture also increased, making experiences such as eating street food or high-end Korean cuisine popular. Beauty experiences like nail art, as well as cosmetic shops near major tourist spots, are always bustling with foreign customers.

The tourism boom greatly affected Seoul’s commercial areas, but the tourism industry is volatile. Even without a pandemic, economic variables such as exchange rates and airfare prices, as well as international situations like wars or diplomatic issues, cause sensitive reactions. When tourists sharply decline, related industries and businesses quickly face difficulties. The tourism industry, mainly service-oriented, often employs many low-wage workers, so the economic base of these areas tends to be weak. Seoul is not yet in such a situation, but globally, there are places where expectations for the tourism industry seem excessively high.

Popular tourist destinations like Venice and Kyoto have long faced problems of overtourism. These cities, which have well preserved their historic landscapes, have limits to how many tourists they can accommodate. Too many visitors flood even narrow alleys, and restaurants, cafes, and shops are filled with tourists to the point that residents find living there uncomfortable. Seoul is much larger compared to these cities, but in areas frequently visited by tourists, the effects of overtourism are already negatively impacting residents’ lives. Bukchon has long suffered from this, and new 'hot places' like Seochon and Sindang-dong will gradually face similar issues.

From this perspective, Seoul must seriously consider how to guide the rapid increase of tourists in a desirable direction. The tourism boom has transformed Seoul’s major commercial areas into 'global' spaces like New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo. It is a welcome phenomenon that Seoul seems to stand shoulder to shoulder with these cities. However, side effects have already begun to appear, and citizens’ inconveniences are increasing. Seoul must become a city that is enjoyable for visiting tourists and comfortable for its residents. How to balance these two aspects to develop into a sustainable tourist city is the challenge Seoul now faces.

Robert Fauzer, Former Professor at Seoul National University