Seoul has been named the city most favored by Generation MZ for five consecutive years. Beyond K-food and K-beauty, experiences such as pop-up stores, vintage shopping and urban hiking have become new attractions, offering visitors a chance to directly experience the daily life and tastes of Seoul residents. Convenience of access also played a positive role.
According to the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) on the 2nd, Seoul took first place in the 'Favorite Worldwide City' category in 'The Trazees 2026,' recently announced by U.S. travel media Trazee Travel. Seoul also received the special 'Quint Status' award and was inducted into the Hall of Fame after ranking No. 1 in the same category for five consecutive years. The ranking was determined by direct votes from business travelers aged 25 to 40, a key consumer group in the global travel market. Seoul outperformed Dublin, Hong Kong, London and Athens to take the top spot.
One reason Seoul received such high marks is its 'lifestyle tourism,' which goes beyond sightseeing and lets visitors experience the daily lives and culture of locals. The city's appeal was seen in activities such as trying K-fashion and K-beauty at pop-up stores in Seongsu-dong, enjoying K-food at Gwangjang Market, shopping for vintage items in Dongmyo, and even hiking at mountains near the city, including Bukhansan and Achasan Mountain.
The places visited by foreign tourists are also becoming more diverse. According to analysis by the Seoul AI Foundation, foreign visitor numbers at major tourist sites last year rose by double digits at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (12.1%), Achasan Mountain (11.8%), Hongdae and Naksan Park (10.5% each), Gwangjang Market (10.4%) and Gwanaksan (10.0%).
Seoul is also strengthening its standing not only as a tourism destination but also as a city for international conferences. Based on UIA standards, the city hosted 317 international meetings last year, ranking first in Asia and third in the world. It was also selected for the 11th consecutive year as the 'World's Best MICE City' by U.S. travel media Global Traveler.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to use this award as an opportunity to expand lifestyle tourism content, attract more high-value-added visitors and strengthen MICE marketing to further enhance the city's competitiveness as a global tourism destination.
Cho Seong-ho, director of the Tourism and Sports Bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "Based on Seoul's unique lifestyle and cultural content, we will expand high-value-added tourism and strengthen MICE competitiveness so that Seoul can leap forward as a global tourism city that people around the world most want to visit."
Kim Se-hyung, fax123@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
