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SOUTH KOREA. It has been a long time between visits. Yesterday Lotte Duty Free welcomed around 150 Chinese travellers at its Myeong-dong store in Seoul, the first Chinese group tourists to visit the store for six years and five months since March 2017 when the THAAD anti-missile system dispute between China and the Republic of Korea erupted.
That bitter row was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 which prevented any resumption of group travel business.
About 150 Chinese cruiseline tourists who had arrived on the New Grand Peace at Pyeongtaek Port on a two-night, three-day tour enjoyed duty free shopping at the Lotte Duty Free flagship.
The landmark visit came after the Chinese government added South Korea to its list of approved group tour destinations on 10 August.
The retailer said it anticipates heavy Chinese visitor numbers for the key holidays coming up, including the Mid-Autumn Festival in September and the National Day Golden Week festivities in early October. Both air and sea traffic from China, the latter connecting to Incheon, Pyeongtaek and Jeju ports, are expected to grow strongly, Lotte Duty Free added.
Yesterday’s visitors mainly purchased K-Beauty products such as Laneige and Mediheal, as well as global cosmetics brands including Chanel and Lancôme. Food categories such as tangerine chocolate and seasoned seaweed also proved popular.
This afternoon (24 August), about 270 more Chinese group tourists who have arrived by ferry at Incheon port will visit the Myeong-dong store.
Lotte Duty Free said it plans to actively attract customers by leveraging the shopping attractions of its Myeong-dong and Lotte World Tower stores in Seoul. It is also planning a series of brand promotions at its Busan and Jeju stores in anticipation of strong growth in Chinese and Japanese cruise ship tourists.
A Lotte Duty Free spokesperson said, “We expect that the domestic duty free industry will regain its vitality from the fourth quarter at the earliest, with Chinese passenger ships visiting Korea one after another after the group visas are granted.” ✈
