Why is swimwear selling better than skiwear?

By Kim Tae-jong

Sales of swimwear are increasing dramatically this winter despite the chilly weather, even surpassing trade in ski wear during the current skiing season, figures showed Wednesday.

The unseasonal swimwear sales occurred throughout November and December, according to Shinsegae Department Store.

Market insiders attributed the unusual trend to the growing number of people traveling to warm countries in Southeast Asia to avoid the cold spell here.

According to the Korea Airports Corporation, the number of outbound tourists topped 2 million in December alone, up 11 percent from the previous year.

“Before traveling to hot countries, customers are buying swimsuits, and that’s why we saw a drastic sales growth of about 40 percent during this cold season,” an official from the department store said.

She also said there are an increasing number of people who go to hot springs or hot spring theme parks during winter vacations as well as weekends.

Along with swimwear, rain boots are also selling better than during the rainy season.

Sales of rain boots in November-December stood at 70.7 percent, higher than in July-August at 38.9 percent.

“Ugg boots are popular in winter, but they become dirty easily when it snows. So many people tend to buy rain boots, which are waterproof and warm with wool added inside them,” the official said.

She said more and more products are becoming seasonless.

“There will be more items sold without being affected by certain seasons such as swimwear and rain boots in the future, because the lifestyle of customers is changing rapidly,” she said.