K-Wave Tourism Fuels MyRealTrip’s $1B IPO Push

• MyRealTrip is gearing up for an IPO in 2027, with a valuation of more than $1 billion, as South Korea's tourism sector grows.
• South Korea received 18.5 million visitors in 2025, with more than 20 million predicted by 2026.
• Medical tourism generated ₩1.4 trillion in 2024, enhancing the industry's growth and profits.

MyRealTrip, a Seoul-based travel-booking platform, is enjoying a rise in inbound demand powered by K-pop, K-beauty, and lifestyle tourism, and is set to launch a landmark IPO in South Korea in 2027. With an IPO valuation of more than $1 billion USD, the company aims to capitalize on one of Asia's fastest-growing travel sectors as cultural exports transform regional tourism patterns.

South Korea's tourism industry has seen a dramatic resurgence. Inbound arrivals have rebounded considerably after initially falling dramatically during COVID-19. In 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism stated that 18.5 million visitors arrived in the country, breaking pre-pandemic records, with estimates for 20.7M to 21.3M inbound tourists in 2026. The numbers could go significantly up based on the fact that the world, including South Korea, especially its capital Seoul, is prepping up for the comeback of BTS, which is expected to cause huge economic ripples throughout the period.

K-Beauty Fuels the Next Wave of South Korea's Tourism Boom

Another major driver of this expansion is the thriving medical and beauty industries. In 2024, South Korea welcomed over 1M overseas medical tourists, producing approximately ₩1.4T (~ $965.52M USD) in income. This figure depicts a twofold increase over the previous year. While dermatology and cosmetic surgery remain the cornerstone, a significant increase in health and lifestyle-related transactions by 2025 also showcased that K-beauty has expanded from a niche service to a robust pillar of the nation's travel economy.

According to the Wall Street Journal, MyRealTrip earned its first annual profit in 2024, making ₩89.2B (~$61.53M) in income following pandemic losses, which increased to almost ₩110B (~$75.84) by 2025. CEO Donggun Lee says the company's inbound strategy involves smart acquisitions and content-led services aimed at international visitors, but competition from global OTAs and legal issues in medical tourism remain a concerning factor.

Additionally, currency volatility and geopolitics increase macroeconomic uncertainty, revealing that a weaker won improves inward appeal while dampening outbound demand. Nonetheless, with Korean culture influencing global travel behavior and Korean visitors reaching new milestones, MyRealTrip's IPO may indicate a broader investor desire for travel innovation related to "soft-power" tourism.