HAWCHEON, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – Hwacheon County has announced plans to introduce a duty-free shop at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival for international visitors as part of a bid to boost consumption.
According to plans announced by the Hwacheon County government on Tuesday, the newly proposed duty-free shop will be built in time for the 2018 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, which will be held in early January.
Though a duty-free shop was built in the region in 2011, it’s the first time that the venue hosting the annual festival will welcome foreign tourists with a duty-free store.
Despite Hwacheon’s famous event this year attracting a record high of 110,000 international tourists, it was learned visitors spent an average of just over 50,000 won, prompting local authorities to come up with measures to boost consumption.
Some of the items to be sold at the duty free shop include local agricultural products, souvenirs, cosmetics products, and ginseng products, with tax rebates available to those who spend over 30,000 won.
“With the new duty-free shop, we hope to boost consumption among international tourists, and have the upper hand at the negotiating table with foreign travel agencies,” said the county’s chief executive, Choi Moon-soon.
M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)