Chinese tourists flock back to Korea in much-needed economic boost

Chinese tourists are filling up the streets of tourist spots and retail shops in Seoul, following the eased regulations on group tours to Korea.

Some 150 Chinese group tourists line up to visit Lotte Duty Free shop in Myeong-dong in central Seoul on Aug. 23. [LOTTE DUTY FREE]

Chinese tourists are filling up the streets of tourist spots and retail shops in Seoul, following the eased regulations on group tours to Korea.

Group tourists from China were seen cramming into the passageway of a Lotte Duty Free shop in Myeong-dong in central Seoul on Wednesday. They were given discount tickets, on which VIP was written, after disembarking the tour bus.

“We used the expression that ‘the floor can’t be seen’ when some five thousand Chinese tourists came to Korea via a cruise,” said an employee at the duty-free shop. “It seems like I’m witnessing a similar scene for the first time in a while.”

Some 150 Chinese tourists that entered Korea from a port in Incheon the previous day returned with a handful of shopping bags.

“This is my first visit in three years, and I noticed that the new passenger ferry terminal is very clean,” said one of the tourists. “Relations between Korea and China, who have been long-time neighbors, will last forever,” the person said with a thumbs up.

Four tour buses were parked in the outdoor parking space of the Lotte Duty Free shop. Before Covid-19 and China’s retaliation against Korea over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) antimissile system, around a hundred of tour buses swarmed in at once.

“It currently takes five days to issue a group tour visa, but more tourists will be able to come if the time span is shortened to between two to three days like in the past,” said Kim Hyuk-woo, a Korean resident living in China.

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Individual Chinese tourists were seen at Shinseage Duty Free shop nearby.

“I didn’t have much work to do for a long time, but I think I’ll become a lot busier,” said 32-year-old tour guide Kim Je-ryun. “A lot of signs that were written in Chinese at restrooms and emergency exits have been taken down, which will need to be improved.”

The retailers displayed artworks for social media-savvy Chinese tourists.

“If it goes viral on social media, more tourists could come,” said an employee at the duty-free shop.

The operation of a passenger ship connecting Korea and China resumed for the first time last month after it was halted following the Covid-19 outbreak in January 2020. Routes connecting four Chinese cities, including Qingdao, are currently offered. But more routes will be added by next month.

That aligns with the government’s plan to attract 1.5 million Chinese tourists in the second half of the year, which is triple the number seen in the first half.

The government also exempted the commission fee required for issuing electronic visa for Chinese group tourists, which costs around 18,000 won ($14). It also promised to add some 250,000 stores that accept WeChat Pay and Alipay.

China in August lifted a ban on group travel to more than 70 locations, including Korea, the United States and Japan.

The impacts of the eased restrictions are expected to pay off during China’s National Day holiday that falls between Sept. 29 through Oct. 6 this year, according to the Bank of Korea. Their return is projected to lift Korea’s gross domestic product by 0.06 percentage points this year.

But the central bank said China’s sluggish domestic economy and insufficient number of air routes may slow down the recovery.

BY KIM MIN-SANG [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr