Retail firms prepare to greet Southeast Asian tourists

Foreign tourists shop for cosmetic products at a CJ Olive Young store in Seoul, on March 22. Courtesy of CJ Olive Young

By Kim Jae-heun

Local retailers are busy preparing for foreign tourists who are expected to visit in large numbers this April as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and travelers return around the globe.

This month, in particular, will see several big holidays such as “Songkran,” the Thai New Year in Thailand and Good Friday in the Philippines, thereby offering travelers from Southeast Asia the opportunity to visit Korea.

Shinsegae Department Store will be handing out welcome gifts such as eye mask packs and beverage coupons to tourists who get new mileage cards issued in-store.

Shinsegae Duty Free plans to deploy helpers who can speak Thai and Vietnamese in its stores. They will work from Saturday to Monday during peak time, and help with interpretation.

Lotte Department Store is also running a promotion to provide gift cards worth 5 percent to 7 percent for purchases made by foreign customers this month. Lotte Duty Free held a briefing session for 50 local travel agencies to attract tourists from Southeast Asia, Japan and China too.

Shoppers walk on the popular street of Myeong-dong shopping district in Seoul, on March 22. Korea Times file

Hyundai Department Store has set up a kiosk machine at its Songdo branch in Incheon to provide tourism information in the town as well as currency exchange rates for the convenience of foreign shoppers. It is also considering establishing a lounge exclusively for foreign tourists.

“The customer base is expanding from individuals to group tourists from Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan.

Local retailers are planning and offering various promotional events to attract foreign tourists,” a local retail firm official said.

Foreign tourists are key to local retailers’ good performance this year. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, Saturday, 434,439 people visited Korea in January. The number has increased 430 percent, year-on-year, but it is only 30 percent compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.

The number of international visitors is expected to increase even more.

Nearly 100,000 foreigners visited Hyundai Premium Outlet located in the Seoul Capital Area here from January to February.

It has increased six times compared with the last year.

Lotte Department Stores in Sogong-dong and Jamsil in Seoul also saw huge increases in foreign shoppers recently.

The increase in international tourists led to Lotte Department Store’s sales in Sogong-dong and Jamil jumping 650 percent and 410 percent respectively, between January and February, year-on-year.

In the same period, Shinsegae Department Store’s sales to foreign tourists at its Sogong-dong branch in Seoul, soared 310.4 percent.