Korea Grand Sale banners are displayed in the streets of downtown Seoul's iconic shopping and tourism district, Myeong-dong, Thursday. Newsis
Korea Grand Sale kicked off, Thursday, featuring expanded travel and shopping benefits for inbound tourists and foreign nationals in Korea.
Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Visit Korea Committee (VKC), the annual festival running until Feb. 29 offers foreigner-only promotions to boost inbound tourism and travel expenditure during the off-season in January and February.
“Through Korea Grand Sale, which marks the start of the 2024 Visit Korea Year, we hope foreign tourists visiting Korea can enjoy shopping, have unique K-culture experiences and make special memories,” Culture Minister Yu In-chon said in a welcome speech during an opening event in central Seoul's Myeong-dong.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon, right, and Visit Korea Committee Chairperson and Hotel Silla CEO Lee Boo-jin visit an Olive Young flagship store in central Seoul's Myeong-dong, Thursday, after the opening ceremony for Korea Grand Sale. An overwhelming 90 percent of the shop's 3,000 daily visitors are foreign travelers. Yonhap
Boosted by the festival, the ministry aims to reach 20 million inbound tourists to the country this year, he added. The figure is more than double the 9.99 million foreign nationals that visited Korea between January and November 2023.
Under the theme “Your Special Moment in Korea,” this year's shopping festival is joined by 1,650 travel-related companies — a record high number of participants since its launch in 2011 — to offer a wider range of promotions.
During the event, nine domestic airlines, including Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, offer up to 91 percent discounts on flights to Korea from overseas. Several hotels, resorts and booking services provide a maximum 80 percent discount on accommodation.
Up to 60 percent discounts will be offered to foreign shoppers at department stores, duty-free shops, hypermarkets and outlets in Seoul, Busan and Incheon.
Those who make payments with UnionPay cards and register membership through a QR code during the festival can receive discount coupons and promotions for 300 food and beverage facilities across the country.
Also, Korea Grand Sale welcome centers, installed in Seoul's signature tourist districts of Myeong-dong, Hongdae and Seongsu-dong, provide booklets with promotion coupons and feature prize giveaway events for visitors.
The festival also features a wide range of K-culture tour programs, such as 1MILLION Dance Studio's one-day choreography class, Ottogi's kimbap cooking tour and Beauty Play's K-beauty makeup session.
1MILLION's leader Lia Kim, third from left, and dancers perform during an opening ceremony for Korea Grand Sale in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. The global dance company consisting of choreographers who work with several K-pop artists offers a one-day class that has become a popular tour program with 60 to 70 percent of its participants coming from overseas. Newsis
Meanwhile, skiing and accommodation packages as well as shopping promotions are offered in several restaurants, convenience stores and accommodation facilities in Gangwon Province in celebration of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, held from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1.
Other major cities, including Daegu, Incheon, Ulsan and Gimje of North Jeolla Province, offer travel-related discounts and events as well.
Before the opening ceremony, the minister and the VKC chairperson met with industry officials to hear their opinions on inbound tourism.
After the ceremony, Yu and Lee visited the flagship stores of Olive Young and Tonymoly in the area to inspect shopping and tax refund services.