KT Data: Seoul Garden Show Boosts Local Sales by 31.5%

Seoul, South Korea - KT Corp and the Seoul Metropolitan Government reported that the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show led to a 31.5 percent increase in local commercial sales and a 20.4 percent rise in the daily population in surrounding areas.

An analysis of the expo's first 10 days — May 1 through May 10 — using the co-developed "Seoul Stay Population Data" found the event generated 1.56 million cumulative visits. 

Total attendance exceeded 2.5 million within the first 20 days. 

The daily average population in the Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong areas reached 42,307, a 28.7 percent increase year-on-year and a 20.4 percent increase compared with April.

Demographic data showed that women made up 54.9 percent of visitors, with people in their 30s accounting for 24.0 percent. 

Women in their 40s represented the fastest-growing demographic. Weekday visits rose 25.1 percent, outpacing the 15.3 percent growth recorded on weekends. 

Peak attendance occurred on opening day, May 1, when 76,000 people were recorded simultaneously in the Seoul Forest area at 2:00 p.m.

According to KT, domestic attendees who stayed for 1 to 2 hours accounted for the largest share at 31.7 percent. 

Data showed a decline in domestic stays exceeding six hours alongside a rise in short-term stays, a pattern that corresponded with visitor movement to the nearby Seongsu-dong commercial district following time at the exhibition.

Average daily sales in the Seongsu-dong commercial area rose from a baseline of KRW 538 million to KRW 708 million during the period. 

Opening-day sales totaled KRW 1.15 billion across 48,000 transactions. 

Among foreign tourists, stays longer than six hours increased from 6.4 percent to 8.5 percent year-on-year.

The "Seoul Stay Population Data" model uses KT's LTE and 5G network signals, along with a proprietary algorithm, to estimate stay durations within 250-meter grid units. 

The system builds on earlier KT mobility data products, including living population metrics introduced in 2018, movement purpose data in 2024, and movement means data in 2025.