Airport food sales surge as travel rebounds during holiday season

Customers line up in front of the food hall brand ‘Culinary Square by Ourhome’ at Incheon Airport’s Terminal 2. [Courtesy of Ourhome]

Sales at food and beverage outlets in South Korean airports and highway rest areas have surged, fueled by the increase in domestic and international travelers during the summer vacation season.

With the upcoming Chuseok holiday and the extended October break, further growth in sales is anticipated.

According to industry sources on Monday, Ourhome’s airport concession business, which includes food and beverage operations, saw a 75 percent increase in sales in the January-July period compared to a year ago.

Ourhome operates outlets in major locations such as Incheon International Airport’s Terminals 1 and 2, Jeju International Airport, large shopping malls, and hospitals.

“With airports bustling this year, our airport concession business has fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019,” said an Ourhome official.

This recovery contributed to a more than 54 percent increase in overall concession sales for the company compared to the previous year.

The airport concession business is heavily influenced by the number of travelers.

The Korea Tourism Organization noted that about 2.5 million Koreans traveled abroad in July, up 16.2 percent from the same period last year, bringing the numbers close to 95 percent of July 2019 levels.

Additionally, 1.41 million foreign tourists visited Korea in July, up 36.5 percent from the previous year.

“The summer travel boom has greatly benefited the airport concession business,” said an industry insider. “With the Chuseok holiday, extended breaks, and the peak travel season at the end of the year, we expect a continued increase in domestic and international travelers, which should positively impact sales at airports and highway rest areas.”

Last year, Ourhome secured the rights to operate the FB3 food and beverage complex at Incheon International Airport.

The company plans to open around 40 outlets by next year, including food courts, beauty shops, cafes, and bookstores.

In June, it launched the K-food outlet Hansik Sodamgil in Terminal 1, followed by the Culinary Square by Ourhome Incheon Airport in Terminal 2 in July, which offers both Korean and international cuisine.

Hansik Sodamgil saw over 70,000 visitors within its first month of operation.

SPC Group also reported that its airport concession business has recovered to pre-Covid-19 levels.

Sales from Incheon International Airport’s concession operations increased by about 30 percent between January and July this year compared to the same period last year.