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S. Korea to Issue Multiple Entry Visas for Rich Chinese Tourists

S. Korea to Issue Multiple Entry Visas for Rich Chinese Tourists

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea said Friday that it will issue multiple entry visas for Chinese travelers who buy expensive vacation packages, the latest in a series of Seoul’s attempts to attract rich Chinese tourists.  The government said Chinese — who purchase a travel package worth more than 3 million won (US$2,500) [...]

Number of Travelers to S. Korea Hits Record High in Jan-Oct

Number of Travelers to S. Korea Hits Record High in Jan-Oct

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of foreigners who visited South Korea in the first 10 months of this year jumped 33.1 percent from a year ago, breaking the previous record high in 2014, the state-run tourism agency said Monday.  A total of 14.59 million foreigners visited the nation in the January-October period, [...]

Seoul’s Consumer Sentiment Continues to Wither

Seoul’s Consumer Sentiment Continues to Wither

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study from the Seoul Institute indicated that although the city’s consumer sentiment improved slightly in the third quarter, the market’s expectations for economic recovery were further downgraded. In its report 2016 Q3 Seoul Public Economy Consumer Sentiment Diagnosis (issued October 30), the city’s consumer sentiment index (CSI) [...]

China’s Tighter Travel Regulations Spark Concerns among Businesses

China’s Tighter Travel Regulations Spark Concerns among Businesses

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – The Chinese government has been moving to tighten regulations on cheap tour packages, raising concerns among South Korean businesses relying on the biggest source of travel income, industry officials said Tuesday.  Earlier this month, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said it will closely look into “irrationally” cheap travel [...]

Duty-Free Sales up 36.4 Pct in First Nine Months

Duty-Free Sales up 36.4 Pct in First Nine Months

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales at South Korea’s duty-free stores rose 36.4 percent in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier on increased buying by foreign tourists, especially Chinese, data showed Thursday.  Sales at 50 duty-free stores nationwide came to 8.93 trillion won (US$7.9 billion) in the January-September period, [...]

Duty-Free Stores Embrace Younger Chinese Customers

Duty-Free Stores Embrace Younger Chinese Customers

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – Chinese travelers in their 20s and 30s have emerged as the key customers for South Korean duty-free stores as they are enticed by Korean pop culture and shopping experiences here, industry officials said Monday.  Local duty-free shops in the past mostly generated revenue from middle-aged Chinese travelers who bought [...]

S. Korea Test Runs Visa Free Program for Cruise Ship Tourists

S. Korea Test Runs Visa Free Program for Cruise Ship Tourists

SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s government said Friday it is test operating a visa waiver program for foreign tourists entering the country via three selected cruise ships in the next six months.  The Ministry of Justice said passengers of those cruise ships — Costa Serena, Sapphire Princess and Quantum of the Seas [...]

Chinese Tourists Can Now Use Smartphones to Pay Transport Fares in Korea

Chinese Tourists Can Now Use Smartphones to Pay Transport Fares in Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Korea Biziwre) – Millions of Chinese visitors will now be able to use their smartphones to pay for transit in Korea.  The Seoul Metropolitan government announced Monday the official launch of a mobile pay system entitled ‘UnionPay Mobile T-Money’ for public transportation. It is named after the Shanghai-based financial services corporation UnionPay, [...]