Medical tourism has emerged as the fastest-growing category of foreign visitor spending in Korea during the first half of the year, as overseas travelers increasingly combined health care with leisure activities, according to data released by BC Card on Monday.

Based on transaction data from approximately 3.3 million foreign-issued payment cards, BC Card found that spending on medical services rose 98 percent from a year earlier, the fastest growth among all spending categories.

Other sectors also posted solid growth, including accommodation (50.2 percent), health and beauty stores (50.5 percent) and apparel (56.3 percent).

Medical tourism remained heavily concentrated in Seoul, which accounted for 92.8 percent of all medical spending by foreign visitors nationwide.

The data also pointed to a shift in treatment preferences, with demand expanding beyond the plastic surgery traditionally sought by overseas visitors to include dermatology, pharmacy purchases and traditional Korean medicine.

"A new medical tourism ecosystem is taking shape, linking health care services with shopping and other tourism activities. Medical tourism is expected to become a new growth driver for Korea's inbound tourism industry," a BC Card official said.

The report also showed broad growth in overall foreign visitor spending.

The value of card transactions by foreign visitors rose 53.6 percent from a year earlier, while the number of transactions increased 40.3 percent.

By nationality, Chinese visitors recorded the strongest growth.

Card usage by Chinese visitors increased 56.6 percent from a year earlier, outpacing visitors from the United States (30.6 percent), Taiwan (44.3 percent), Japan (40.1 percent) and Singapore (46.8 percent).