SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales at South Korea’s duty-free stores reached an all-time high in July thanks to a rising influx of Chinese travelers and last year’s low base in the wake of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, data showed Tuesday. Sales at duty-free stores nationwide reached US$954 million last month, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – China may make the official claim that it will not take retaliatory measures against Korea for the recent decision to deploy a THAAD battery in Seongju, but those working in the local tourism industry agree that change is in the air. According to tourism industry officials, the number of Chinese [...]
HONGSEONG, South Korea, July 29 (Korea Bizwire) – China’s Tsingtao Brewery made a last-minute decision on July 19 not to partake in the Daegu Chimaek (chicken and beer) Festival, which kicked off on July 27 in Daegu, less than two weeks after the Korean government announced that it would deploy a THAAD battery in South [...]
SEJONG, July 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of foreign cruise tourists visiting South Korea nearly doubled in the first six months of 2016, with the number expected to reach 1.5 million at the end of the year, the maritime ministry said Monday. Some 724,000 foreigners arrived in the country on cruise ships over the [...]
SEOUL, May 24 (Korea Bizwire) – Chinese tourists spend six times more than their Japanese counterparts when they visit the South Korean capital, a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Government has revealed. According to the Seoul Institute, Chinese tourists visit Seoul 1.9 times on average, but spend about 2.13 million won during a visit, while Japanese [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of 8,000 employees from a Chinese company will visit South Korea next month to taste Korean traditional ginseng chicken soup, the Seoul city government said Wednesday. The largest signal tour group from Chinese health care company Joymain Science & Technology (Zhongmai Group) will arrive in Seoul on [...]
SEOUL, March 28 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea has canceled the licenses of 68 tour operators that lure Chinese travelers with cheap, low-quality packages or hire unqualified guides to improve the tourism industry’s competitiveness, the culture ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has conducted reviews on 170 tour agencies specializing in Chinese [...]
SEOUL, March 2 (Korea Bizwire) - Chinese tourists in South Korea spent more in the country following the introduction of an on-the-spot tax refund system, local data showed Tuesday. Since February, South Korean department stores offered instant tax refunds to foreign tourists who buy products at local duty-free shops, in line with its efforts to revitalize the tourism industry hurt by [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – Chinese travelers have emerged as one of the few bright spots for Korean department stores suffering from dull domestic consumption, prompting an all-out fight to attract deep-pocketed clients, industry officials said Monday. Sales at department stores inched down 0.4 percent on-year to 29.22 trillion won (US$23.69 billion) in 2015, [...]
SEOUL, Feb.4 (Korea Bizwire) – Data indicates that Chinese tourists who visit Korea often buy instant ramen noodles and almonds at large discount stores. Lotte Mart analyzed purchases made by Chinese tourists at its Seoul Station store. The results showed that sales of instant ramen noodles and almonds ranked first and second. Sales of instant [...]