SEOUL, Apr. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of foreigners who visited South Korea rose 10.7 percent on-year in March, ending 12 straight months of decline, data showed Monday, as the government pushes to diversify the country’s tourist portfolio in the face of a plunge in the number of Chinese visitors. The total number of [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreigners-only casinos are showing better sales this year after a big dip last year caused by China’s retaliation over a diplomatic row, industry data showed Monday. Sales in January and February reached 204.78 billion won (US$191.56 million), up 15.9 percent from the same period last year, according to the [...]
SEJONG, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The decline in Chinese tourism to South Korea may have reached an inflection point last month, as Chinese arrivals rebounded after a year of strained ties between Seoul and Beijing. According to a government document revealed by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, last month’s inbound Chinese tourists marked [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Operating profits of South Korea’s duty-free shops declined sharply in general last year due to the cutthroat competition to attract Chinese tourists, and over Beijing’s economic retaliation against the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system here, industry sources said Tuesday. Chinese travel agencies have suspended sales of tour [...]
SEOUL, April 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Hotel Lotte Co., a hotel and duty-free operator of South Korean retail giant Lotte, said the operating profit of its duty-free unit nosedived to a record-low level in 2017 amid a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over a U.S. missile defense system. Lotte Duty Free’s operating income came to 2.5 billion won [...]
SEOUL, April 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Japan has been a beneficiary of the strained national ties between South Korea and China over the installation of a U.S. defense missile system (THAAD), with South Korean tourists more inclined to spend their days off in the island nation rather than an unfriendly China. From January until February, [...]
SEOUL, April 1 (Korea Bizwire) – China will end what are believed to be retaliatory measures over South Korea’s deployment of a U.S.-developed missile shield in the near future, a top Chinese official said Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s envoy, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, made the remarks during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Seoul. “China places great importance on matters of [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreigners-only casinos in South Korea have taken a big hit from the fallout of a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of an advanced missile defense shield here, industry sources said Wednesday. In March last year, China banned the sale of package tours to South Korea [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean retail giant Lotte said Friday it plans to wrap up the sales of its hypermarket chain in China by the first half of this year, as potential buyers started to inspect the stores. Chinese retailer Liqun Group is carrying out an on-site inspection of Lotte Mart’s Chinese [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean low-cost carriers are strengthening services on Chinese routes by opening new routes to one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. Jeju Air Co. will open a new route to Yantai in the northeastern part of Shandong province on April 5, the company said in a statement. The new [...]