The number of foreign visitors to Seoul in the first half of this year increased by more than 20 percent from the same period last year, while their credit card spending in the city surged by more than 50 percent, data from the city government showed Wednesday.

Seoul attracted 8.23 million foreign tourists in the January-June period, up 21.3 percent from the first half of last year, the government said, noting their credit card spending soared 56.8 percent to 5.62 trillion won ($3.9 billion).

Both the number of foreign visitors and their spending reached all-time highs in the first half, city government officials said.

With spending growth far exceeding the increase in visitor numbers, Seoul tourism appears to be moving beyond a mere recovery in visitor numbers and entering a new growth phase driven by longer stays and higher consumption, they said.

The city government said the shopping sector accounted for the largest share of foreign visitors' card spending, at 46.4 percent, followed by medical and wellness sectors at 24.4 percent.

Foreigners' spending at large shopping malls in Seoul surged 73.2 percent from 706.3 billion won to 1.22 trillion won. Their medical tourism spending increased 63.3 percent from 556.3 billion won to 908.4 billion won, while their spending on dining and beauty products increased 54.5 and 40 percent, respectively.

The city government plans to expand its night tourism content in the second half. It aims to help foreign tourists enjoy Seoul not only during the day but also in the evening and at night, while revitalizing the gourmet, shopping, cultural and content sectors around major tourist attractions.