Visitors enjoy the opening day of the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show at Seoul Forest, May 1. YonhapThe 2026 Seoul International Garden Show has attracted more than 2.5 million visitors in its first 20 days, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday, with data showing the event is generating a measurable boost to the surrounding local economy.The show opened May 1 at Seoul Forest and reached 1 million visitors within six days — five days faster than last year's edition at Boramae Park, which drew a total of 10.44 million visitors. Organizers expect this year's event to again surpass 10 million visitors before it closes Oct. 27.City data showed the daily average residential population in the Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong area rose 20.4 percent during the show's first 10 days compared with April, with weekday figures up 25.1 percent. The single busiest moment came at 2 p.m. on opening day, when 76,000 people were counted in the area simultaneously.The surge in foot traffic translated directly into higher commercial activity. Average daily credit card spending by Korean nationals in Seongsu-dong jumped 31.5 percent over the prior month, with the number of transactions rising 25.6 percent. Restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and convenience stores were the top-spending categories. Sales at food trucks and market stalls inside the venue totaled approximately 1.2 billion won during the 10-day opening period.Foreign visitor engagement was also notable. Among short-stay tourists who came to Seoul, 34.3 percent spent one to two hours at Seoul Forest, while 8.5 percent stayed more than six hours.Seating capacity at the venue has been expanded from 2,160 to 4,620 spots to accommodate demand."The garden show has proven to be a new model of urban festival — one where citizens linger, rest and bring vitality to the surrounding commercial district," said Kim Young-hwan, director general of Seoul's Garden City Bureau.This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.