SOUTH KOREA. Chinese visitor numbers boomed in July, helping to drive all-time monthly record duty free sales.
Travel retailers have been anxiously monitoring tourism figures, fearful that South Korea’s introduction of the US-developed advanced anti-missile defence system THAAD will lead to a downturn in tourism from China, which has been angered by the development.
While there have been widespread reports of cancelled Chinese tours, any fall-out is only likely to show up in numbers from August onwards. For now, though, the figures make for happy reading. According to new Korea Tourism Organization statistics, Chinese arrivals rose +258.9% year-on-year in July to 917,519. However, that comparison is heavily distorted by the fact that July 2015 was the height of the MERS crisis, which devastated Korean tourism, especially from China.
Compared to the more relevant benchmark of July 2014, which saw a record for the month of 692,053 Chinese arrivals, July 2016’s total was up +32.58% – still a very strong increase.
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According to Korean reports, that visitor influx drove all-time monthly high duty free sales in July. Citing Korea Duty Free Association data, Korean Bizwire said that the month’s sales nationwide reached US$954 million, up +4.1% over a record June. That was the highest monthly result since the association began compiling data in January 2009, the report said. The July figure was up by +107% year-on-year over the MERS-ruined comparative period.
Japanese arrivals rose +127.8% year-on-year last month but, again, the comparison with July 2014 is more instructive, with this year’s number up by a more modest but still encouraging +7.98%.
For the period to 31 July, Chinese arrivals rose +45.4% year-on-year to 4,734,275 (and +40.83% 2016 v 2014).
HOW LAST YEAR LOOKED….
