According to industry sources on Sunday, duty-free operators are enhancing fan meetings and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) events to lure large-scale tour groups, while partnering with Chinese travel agencies to develop customized tour packages. Shilla Duty Free is working with its China offices to bring in more visitors and is preparing large fan meetings and K-pop-related events. It is also offering “gold passes” and other welcome gifts, while reorganizing product lines to highlight brands favored by Chinese shoppers. Lotte Duty Free, meanwhile, visited Guangzhou and Qingdao earlier this month to sign MOUs with local travel agencies, aiming to attract group tourists from second- and third-tier cities such as Qingdao, Hangzhou and Chengdu with city-specific marketing strategies.

The duty-free sector, which has struggled since the pandemic as Chinese tourists shifted from group shopping to individual purchases, views the visa-free policy as a golden opportunity to rebound.

The government announced that the measure is intended to reinvigorate the tourism industry, and industry watchers expect the policy, coupled with the approach of China’s two major holidays—Golden Week and Mid-Autumn Festival in early October—to trigger a surge in Chinese visitors.

Convenience stores, beauty chains and supermarkets are also moving quickly. Olive Young is bolstering multilingual guidance in major districts such as Gangnam, Dongdaemun, Myeong-dong and Seongsu, as well as in Busan and Jeju. It has adopted Alipay and WeChat Pay and offers an immediate VAT refund at checkout for purchases over 15,000 won with a passport.

Seven-Eleven is running a promotion through October 31: customers making their first purchase via WeChat Pay will receive a 7 yuan ($1) coupon for their next visit and a 50 yuan Lotte Duty Free coupon.

The chain has also installed automated currency exchange kiosks and tax refund services to improve convenience for foreign shoppers.

Hotels are equally busy preparing. Lotte Dream Tower in Jeju will provide up to 22 percent discounts at on-site facilities during China’s October holidays for customers paying with WeChat Pay. Business hotels such as Shilla Stay and Lotte City Hotel are partnering with travel agencies and their own duty-free affiliates to draw visitors, offering discounts for group bookings.

By Park Hong-ju and Minu Kim