SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free today welcomed more than 150 group tourists from Malaysia to its main downtown store in Myeongdong, Seoul. It followed a visit yesterday to the company’s Jeju duty free shop by 170 Thai group tourists.
While Southeast Asian travellers have visited Korea in small groups during the pandemic, this is the first time since early 2020 that large incentivised groups of over 100 people have visited the country, said the retailer.
The group that visited the Seoul store includes employees of companies that sell cosmetics and nutraceuticals in Malaysia. They entered the country through Incheon International Airport on 4 April with a domestic sightseeing itinerary of four nights and five days. They have visited major attractions in the metropolitan area and the region, such as Jeonju Hanok Village, Imsil Cheese Village and theme parks, and will depart on 8 June after completing a Han River cruise tour this evening.
The schedule included an arranged shopping visit to the Lotte Duty Free Myeongdong Main Store this morning. Lotte Duty Free has installed three additional elevators through which returning foreign visitors can access the store. The elevators began operation in April and connect to the third floor parking lot, allowing group tourists to come directly from their transport bus to the store.
On the afternoon of 6 June, the 170-strong Thai tour group paid a visit to the Lotte Duty Free downtown store and on-site restaurant in Jeju Island. They purchased fashion goods from the MLB brand as well as cosmetics such as Alabaster and Hu Beauty.
From this month, Jeju Island has introduced a visa-free entry system for foreigners, with flights resuming between Bangkok and the resort island.
A Lotte Duty Free representative said: “This month, Thai and Filipino group customers will visit the Lotte Duty Free Store, and in the second half of the year, we are preparing to attract groups of thousands of people.”
Lotte Duty Free said that the duty free industry will welcome more guests as international flights “show signs of early normalisation”. Since May, quarantine obligations for foreign nationals have been lifted in line with government guidelines.
In other news, Lotte Duty Free signed an agreement with Alipay+ in February to improve the shopping experience for its Asian customers. It launched a digital payment solution in Southeast Asian markets such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
In addition, the company said it is strengthening shopping benefits by carrying out brand-specific promotions and additional giveaways for shoppers.
