Korea to offer more tax-free shopping, waive visa fees for Chinese tourists

Korea is targeting Chinese tourists with a promise of safe and engaging trips to relish its authentic culture.

Streets of Myeongdong in central Seoul are booming after the Chinese government lifted its travel ban to Korea in August. [YONHAP]

Korea is targeting Chinese tourists with a promise of safe and engaging trips to relish its authentic culture.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday announced that it will provide various financial benefits, such as visa fee waivers and tax refunds, and create new tourism activities for Chinese tourists visiting Korea from September.

Chinese tourists will be able to apply for the “K-Culture Bucket List Challenge,” where 10,000 people will be randomly selected to receive passes to events like Esports games, a Han River picnic set and a seat at a baseball game. The government also plans to offer medical-tourism-related prizes.

Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, set to open late this year, is also vying to become a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Its hotels are slated to open in December and the casino in early next year.

A rendered image of the completed Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon [INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

Inspire is a 2-trillion-won ($1.5 billion) project led by the American integrated resort developer Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment. Mohegan operates seven integrated resorts in the United States and Canada. Inspire is its first outpost in Asia.

It is set to be the largest resort in Northeast Asia. Its facilities include three hotel towers with 1,275 rooms, a 15,000-seat arena set to be Korea’s first multi-purpose indoor performance hall, a year-round indoor water park and event venues.

Chinese tourists on a cruise ship that is entering a port on Jeju Island from Shanghai on Thursday [YONHAP]

The ministry is also developing new tourist programs around ports in Jeju Island and Busan to showcase the specialties of each region.

The ministry also said it will be increasing the number of flights and ships to and fro Korea and China.

The e-visa issuance fee for Chinese group tourists, 18,000 won, will also be waived through Dec. 31.

A large Chinese tourist group is lined up in front of the duty-free shop in central Seoul on Aug. 24. [YONHAP]

Some 250,000 additional locations will begin accepting mobile payment, including WeChat Pay and Alipay, widely used by Chinese tourists.

An additional 200 locations, including K-beauty businesses and pharmacies in major tourist destinations, will offer immediate tax refunds.

From next year, purchases of more than 15,000 won at tax-free shops qualify for tax refunds from the current 30,000 won. The limit to get an immediate tax refund will be raised from 500,000 won to 700,000 won per store.

The ministry said it will be holding a roadshow in Beijing on Sept. 13 and Shanghai from Sept. 15 to 17 and plans to expand the shows to five Chinese cities next year.

It is also collaborating with Chinese travel platforms, launching live shopping events offering deals on hotels and flights.

From September to Oct. 6, the period Korea expects the most Chinese tourists, the ministry will be performing a quality check on the Korean tourism scene.

It will be especially cracking down on unqualified tour guides, interpreters and festivals that rip off people with exorbitant prices.

Korea Tourist Police officers patrol the streets of Myeongdong in central Seoul on Friday in preparation for the upcoming spike of Chinese tourists [NEWS1]

“Chinese tourists’ robust buying power and commercial activities can be a strong driving force for revitalizing the domestic economy,” Second Vice Minister of Sports Jang Mi-ran said. “We will wholly upgrade Chinese K-tourism with the charm of K-culture, which has grown globally, and establish formidable standards for Chinese tourists.”

Chinese tourists have taken the biggest share of the monthly tourists to Korea since July when Korea saw 224,000 visitors. China was also the number one source of tourists for Korea until 2019 when 6.02 million Chinese travelers visited Korea.

The ministry also found that Chinese tourists spend an average of 38 percent more than visitors from other countries.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]