“2023 Korea Grand Sale,” the nation’s biggest shopping festival, was launched on Jan. 12, catering to inbound tourists.
The latest campaign is the first event of the “Korea Visit 2023-2024 Years” initiative the government is implementing.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and Visit Korea Committee (VKC) said 2023 Korea Grand Sale will be under way until Feb. 28.
A ceremony to open “Myeong-dong Welcome Center” took place in the plaza of Myeong-dong Art Theater in Seoul with MCST Minister Park Bo-gyun in attendance.
Tourism industry people, including officials of the Myeong-dong special tourism district, tourist police and interpreters, were also present at the event. Inbound tourist welcome centers have opened in areas such as Myeong-dong and Gangnam.
Korea Grand Sale has been held since 2011 with participation by airline, accommodation, shopping and entertainment companies to spur inbound tourist arrivals during the tourism off-season and raise tourism revenues.
Diverse shopping tourism brands and companies have been participating in the latest Korea Grand Sale to promote themes like shopping, experiences, eating & drinking and K-culture, VKC said.
All nine Korean airliners, including Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Jeju Air, are participating in the shopping festival.
They are offering a maximum 94 percent discount on 110 flight routes bound for Korea and added service benefits.
Among participants from the accommodation sector are Lotte Hotel & Resort, Sofitel Ambassador, Fairmont Ambassador and Agoda. They are giving discounts on room fees and Korea Grand Sale benefits.
Besides, about 300 restaurants and café establishments are offering Korea Grand Sale benefits over general travel to Korea by holding eating and drinking promotion events, preferential treatment in connection with currency exchange and eSIM discounts.
Special experience product events related to traveling to Korea are held in cooperation with Korean and foreign travel platforms, such as Klook, Createtrip and KKday.
Korea is offering attractive K-content experience and tourism products, such as hallyu (Korean Wave) pilgrimage tours, K-pop geography learning experiences, and winter sports ski and palace tour programs.
There are also Korea Grand Sale benefits. They are catering to major countries with lots of inbound tourists to Korea, such as Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Shopping benefits are more abundant.
Major duty free outlets, such as Lotte, Shilla I-Park, Shinsegae and Hyundai are giving shopping support money and freebies. Department stores, such as Galleria and Lotte, are holding Korea Grand Sale voucher promotion events targeting inbound tourists.
Outlets and large-sized marts, such as Doota Mall, Lotte Outlet, Hyundai Theater Outlet and E-Mart are participating in the shopping event with Korea Grand Sale coupons and “Visit Korea” benefits.
CJ Olive Young and Line Friends, which have outlets in major locations, are offering Korea Grand Sale discounts and various freebies. K-culture experience events are being offered to inbound tourists.
They include K-pop performance programs, hallyu pilgrimage tours, and hansik (Korean cuisine) making classes.
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