"After Myeong-dong, it's Bukhansan" Foreign tourists hooked on K-hiking boost outdoor sales

As "K-hiking" emerges as a new travel trend among inbound tourists, sales of outdoor goods at department stores are climbing sharply. Many foreign visitors who come to Myeong-dong and other downtown shopping districts are now adding hikes up nearby peaks such as Bugaksan Mountain and Namsan Mountain to their itineraries, turning outdoor gear into a new cash cow for department stores.
■ Outdoor boom driven by experiential tourism
According to the retail industry on the 14th, foreign customer sales in outdoor categories at major department stores have been growing rapidly in recent months. At Shinsegae Department Store, outdoor sales to foreign shoppers in the first quarter of this year rose 65.2% from a year earlier. Lotte Department Store reported a 120% jump in the January–February period, while Hyundai Department Store saw a 72.1% increase over the same period, posting strong growth from the start of the year.
This momentum has been building since last year. On a full-year basis for 2023, outdoor sales to foreign customers grew 79.0% at Shinsegae Department Store, 70.2% at Hyundai Department Store, and 60% at Lotte Department Store, signaling a clear expansion in overseas demand. The upward trend continued quarter by quarter. During the main hiking season in the third quarter of last year, sales rose 58.3% at Shinsegae, 58.4% at Hyundai, and 60% at Lotte, and in the fourth quarter they still posted robust gains of 53.3%, 52.4%, and 50%, respectively. An industry insider analyzed, "Despite seasonal peaks, we are seeing steady quarter-on-quarter growth, which suggests foreign spending on outdoor products is becoming a structural demand rather than a passing fad."
This shift is largely attributed to a change in travel patterns from shopping-focused trips to more experiential tourism. Itineraries that once centered on buying cosmetics and fashion in the Myeong-dong area are increasingly expanding to include direct experiences of Korea’s nature and lifestyle. Seoul, in particular, offers easily accessible mountains such as Bugaksan Mountain, Namsan Mountain, and Inwangsan Mountain right next to the city center, making them attractive tourism content for foreign visitors. Infrastructure improvements have also played a key role. Since 2022, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been operating the Seoul Hiking Tourism Center at Bukhansan, Gwanaksan, Bugaksan Mountain and other locations, where visitors can borrow hiking gear free of charge. According to the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO), the number of foreign visitors to the three hiking tourism centers at Bukhansan, Bugaksan Mountain, and Gwanaksan surged from 1,753 in 2022 to 18,693 in 2023, more than a tenfold increase. Out of a total of 187,028 visitors between 2022 and 2023, foreigners accounted for 43,433, or 23.2%. At Bukhansan in particular, foreigners made up more than 70% of visitors last year, leading to the assessment that "K-hiking" has moved beyond a one-off experience to become a core tourism attraction.
A department store official noted, "We are seeing broad-based demand from foreign customers for products that combine functionality and design, ranging from domestic brands like NEPA, BLACKYAK, Kolon Sport, and K2 to global labels such as Arc'teryx, Salomon, and The North Face."
■ Department stores step up push for foreign shoppers
Department store chains are ramping up marketing efforts to capture this growing foreign demand. Lotte Department Store is running its "Lotte Active Week" promotion at all branches through the 19th, offering discounts on outdoor gear.
Hyundai Department Store opened new Salomon shops last month at its Trade Center branch and Mokdong branch, targeting foreign customers. Shinsegae Department Store, for its part, is offering shopping vouchers in categories such as fashion throughout April to VISITKOREA members, in line with rising overseas demand.
An industry source commented, "As the share of independent travelers among foreign tourists continues to grow, interest is rising in itineraries that go beyond shopping to include hiking and other ways to experience Korea’s natural environment." The source added, "Driven by K-outdoor brands, we expect demand for related products to continue on a solid growth trajectory."
clean@fnnews.com Reporter Lee Jeong-hwa Reporter