Chinese 'VIP tourists' spend gaudy amounts in Korea

/ Yonhap

Nine out of ten Chinese tourists who come to Korea on a special VIP package spend over 50 million won ($44601.50) during their stay, a tour agency said Monday.

According to a survey by Cosmojin Tour, a Seoul-based travel agency, some 87 percent of Chinese tourists here who came here spent exceeded the amount, with most of the money going towards purchasing luxury goods.

Less than 40 percent said they spent between 100 million to 200 million won during a visit, with 23 percent having spent between 50 million and 100 million won, and 17 percent spending between 200 million and 300 million won.

The survey was conducted on 296 Chinese tourists over the last year.

The highest possible option for the survey was above 300 million won for shopping, which about 8 percent of the participants answered to have spent.

Such VIP tourists “only want luxury brand products, the best quality and only the best possible service whenever they come, which is why there's such a large amount of consumption during one visit," Jung Myung-jin, CEO of Cosmojin Tour, said. "We wish to expand our tourism industry in order to meet their high standards and expectations."