Marine sports equipment sales up in S. Korea due to popularity of surfing, yachting

Marine sports such as surfing, scuba diving, yachting, and others have gained popularity in South Korea in recent years, according to data analyzed by KB Kookmin Card Co.

The study showed a 140 percent increase in credit card sales from July 1 to October 10, 2019 compared to the same period this year.

Sales of surfing made up 48% of the total in July and August, while sales of scuba diving made up 31% of the total during the September to November timeframe.

Surfing accounted for 65 percent of all sales of maritime sports in the province of Gangwon. Scuba diving and yachting made up 34% and 27%, respectively, of total marine sports sales on Jeju Island.

When sorted by age, maritime sports sales among clients in their 20s saw the largest increase of 400 percent from 2019.

According to the data, clients over 40 made up 66 percent of yachting purchases, 62 percent of scuba diving sales, and 71 percent of surfing sales, which were all made by people in their 20s and 30s.