Korea Grand Sale is back

Dancers wearing hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, perform during last year’s Korea Grand Sale period. Special performances will add a festive atmosphere to this year’s event as well, which is scheduled from Jan. 20 to Feb. 28. /Courtesy of Visit Korea Committee

Nationwide sales festival to promote PyeongChang Games

By Jung Min-ho

Starting next week, more than 300 manufacturers and retailers will offer big discounts and promotional events exclusively for foreign tourists.

The Visit Korea Committee will host the seventh Korea Grand Sale from Jan. 20 to Feb. 28 to attract shoppers from around the world to Korea. Over the past few years, the nationwide sales festival has grown in size and popularity.

Ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Games, which is only a year away, the festival will this time focus on promoting the international sporting event.

“We are planning to feature various events related to the Olympics and winter sports,” said Han Kyung-ah, secretary general of the committee. “We will do our best to promote the beautiful winter of Korea as a means of ensuring that more foreign tourists are interested in the Olympics and thus visit the country.”

During the festival period, ski resorts in Gangwon Province, where PyeongChang is situated, will provide up to 50 percent discounts on the use of lifts, gondolas and skiing equipment.

Dongdaemun Market, a well-known shopping district in Seoul, will have a promotion center, where visitors can learn about Olympic events through virtual reality simulations.

With the Gangwon Provincial Government stepping up efforts to promote the Olympics, the committee hopes the festival will create a synergy effect for the region and the country as a whole.

Asiana Airlines will offer up to 60 percent discount to those flying to and from destinations in China and Europe during the period, while Jeju Air plans to offer a maximum 91 percent discount rate. Cheaper package deals for airplane tickets and hotel accommodation will also be available on the Korean Air website.

For budget travelers who are looking for bang-for-your-buck hotel deals, Shilla Stay provides up to a 50 percent discount as well as a free upgrade to a deluxe room on a first-come-first-serve basis.

N Seoul Tower will provide a 30 percent discount for entry, and The Face Shop and Lotte Hi-mart will offer “buy one, get one free” deals on products popular among foreign customers. Such deals are also available at many other retailers, including Grand Ambassador Seoul, All Mask Story and Hyundai I’PARK Mall.

To help them enrich their shopping experience, the committee will operate event centers in the central Seoul area, where visitors can get tourist information, free Internet, interpretation services and battery charging services.

For shoppers who also want to learn about Korean culture, the committee will run various programs each week to allow tourists to experience its various aspects. For example, they will be given different gifts if they buy more than a certain amount during Must-Buy Week, and they will have an opportunity to taste traditional Korean food made by some of the finest chefs during Must-Eat Week. On streets, special performances will add a festive atmosphere.

One of the biggest advantages of shopping in Korea, especially around big city areas, is easy access to public transportation, which is cheap, fast and clean. Foreigners can buy the Korea Tour Card, which can be used for subway, bus and taxi and provides discount benefits for almost all duty free shops and some major department stores in Korea. It will be available at 7-Eleven convenience stores in Seoul, Jeju and Gyeonggi Province as well as Jeju Air and airport travel stores.

With the card, they can also get a 50 percent discount for the Hands-Free Service, in which they deliver and store their belongings between departments, hotels, other main tourist points in Seoul and the airport so that they don’t have to carry them around.

Meanwhile, the committee will encourage small and medium-sized shops and restaurants to make the best out of Korea Grand Sale by offering support including training for digital marketing strategies.

For those who want special gifts, including free hotel stays and iPads, the committee is now promoting on vkc.or.kr its online event “My Must-Have Shopping Item.” While Koreans can participate in the event by writing their recommendation for items and reasons why, foreigners can do so by writing items they would like to purchase and reasons why. Winners will be announced on Jan. 24.

“When we came up with the idea of Korea Grand Sale seven years ago, few thought Korea would become as popular a shopping destination as it is today in such a short time,” said Chung Ju-young, marketing general manager of the committee. “We will try our best to make the event continue to evolve with more colorful ideas.”