By Choi Sung-jin
Tickets for flights that depart from major Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, for Korea between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 were sold out as of Friday. Likewise, only a few seats are left per flight back to China from Oct. 6-7. The room occupancy rate of business hotels in Myeong-dong, Seoul, which usually hovers below 70 percent, has soared to 90 percent for Oct. 1-6.
These are figures that fill the domestic tourism and distribution industries with expectations for a "special boom" brought by the onrush of Chinese tourists, or youke, during their National Day holiday.
The first week of October is the biggest tour season for the Chinese people. According to the Chinese government's data, 598 million Chinese are likely to hit the road, at home and abroad, during the holiday, up 12 percent from last year.
Tourism industry officials here expect about 250,000 of the Chinese youke will visit Korea, a record-high figure that exceeds the 210,000 visitors in 2015.
Industry executives had been concerned about the adverse effects the recently cooling relationship between the two countries, caused by Seoul's decision to deploy the U.S. antimissile system, would have on the number of Chinese visitors to Korea. So far, however, political developments seem to have exerted little or no influence on bilateral economic exchanges, including tourism.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists in Korea in July totaled 917,519, recording a hefty increase of 258.9 percent from the same month of last year. Chinese people who visited Korea in the first seven months also numbered 4.73 million, and if this pace continues, the annual number of Chinese tourists is expected to easily exceed last year's record of 5.98 million, KTO officials said.
Cosmetics shops and restaurants in Myeong-dong, the so-called shopping Mecca for Chinese tourists, are renewing their signboards written in Chinese and hiring Chinese students in Korea as short-term receptionists.
Chinese tourists are also liberal spenders, "big hands" as they are called here. An average Chinese tourist spent 2.61 million won ($2,364) last year, twice and thrice larger than what American and Japanese visitors spent, respectively.
Most retailers are focusing on the "Korea Sales FESTA," the Korean version of the U.S. Black Friday.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which organizes the annual event, said a similar event last year increased the nation's private consumption by 0.2 of a percentage point and raised its gross domestic product by 0.1 of a percentage point.
About 168 department stores and shopping centers, or 48,000 small stores, will take part in the sales event, selling almost everything, ranging from luxury bags to shoes and clothes of independently developed brands, at prices 50 to 70 percent lower than usual. Tourist hotels are also throwing in additional stays and airlines are offering discounted tickets. The government will organize "Experience Hallyu" events throughout next month, starting with the concerts of K-pop bands on Yeongdong Avenue in Gangnam area on Sept. 30.
"During China's National Day holiday season last year, the domestic tourism sector recorded a sales growth of 15-20 percent," said a KTO official. "We expect another ‘surprise effect' this year."
Tickets for flights that depart from major Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, for Korea between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 were sold out as of Friday. Likewise, only a few seats are left per flight back to China from Oct. 6-7. The room occupancy rate of business hotels in Myeong-dong, Seoul, which usually hovers below 70 percent, has soared to 90 percent for Oct. 1-6.
These are figures that fill the domestic tourism and distribution industries with expectations for a "special boom" brought by the onrush of Chinese tourists, or youke, during their National Day holiday.
The first week of October is the biggest tour season for the Chinese people. According to the Chinese government's data, 598 million Chinese are likely to hit the road, at home and abroad, during the holiday, up 12 percent from last year.
Tourism industry officials here expect about 250,000 of the Chinese youke will visit Korea, a record-high figure that exceeds the 210,000 visitors in 2015.
Industry executives had been concerned about the adverse effects the recently cooling relationship between the two countries, caused by Seoul's decision to deploy the U.S. antimissile system, would have on the number of Chinese visitors to Korea. So far, however, political developments seem to have exerted little or no influence on bilateral economic exchanges, including tourism.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists in Korea in July totaled 917,519, recording a hefty increase of 258.9 percent from the same month of last year. Chinese people who visited Korea in the first seven months also numbered 4.73 million, and if this pace continues, the annual number of Chinese tourists is expected to easily exceed last year's record of 5.98 million, KTO officials said.
Cosmetics shops and restaurants in Myeong-dong, the so-called shopping Mecca for Chinese tourists, are renewing their signboards written in Chinese and hiring Chinese students in Korea as short-term receptionists.
Chinese tourists are also liberal spenders, "big hands" as they are called here. An average Chinese tourist spent 2.61 million won ($2,364) last year, twice and thrice larger than what American and Japanese visitors spent, respectively.
Most retailers are focusing on the "Korea Sales FESTA," the Korean version of the U.S. Black Friday.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which organizes the annual event, said a similar event last year increased the nation's private consumption by 0.2 of a percentage point and raised its gross domestic product by 0.1 of a percentage point.
About 168 department stores and shopping centers, or 48,000 small stores, will take part in the sales event, selling almost everything, ranging from luxury bags to shoes and clothes of independently developed brands, at prices 50 to 70 percent lower than usual. Tourist hotels are also throwing in additional stays and airlines are offering discounted tickets. The government will organize "Experience Hallyu" events throughout next month, starting with the concerts of K-pop bands on Yeongdong Avenue in Gangnam area on Sept. 30.
"During China's National Day holiday season last year, the domestic tourism sector recorded a sales growth of 15-20 percent," said a KTO official. "We expect another ‘surprise effect' this year."
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