Lotte Duty Free said on the 14th that it has strengthened cooperation with major Chinese travel partners to step up efforts to attract Chinese group tourists.
Namgung Pyo, head of marketing at Lotte Duty Free, and other key officials visited Guangzhou and Qingdao in China 10–12th. On this trip, Lotte Duty Free met with more than 30 major travel agencies and partners ahead of the implementation of China's visa-free entry policy and the National Day holiday to discuss cooperation measures, including offering benefits for group tourists. It signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Guangzhou CITS Travel Agency and Qingdao Tourism Group to solidify their partnership.
According to Lotte Duty Free, in the first half of this year, the share of customers from tier-2 and tier-3 cities such as Qingdao, Hangzhou, and Chengdu increased in sales to group tourists. Broad-based sales growth is appearing across a range of categories, including souvenirs and food as well as cosmetics and fashion. In line with this shift, the company is pursuing initiatives such as recruiting new agents by city, planning tailored products, and developing region-specific marketing models, and it plans to expand its partner network into China's central and western regions going forward.
It will also step up promotional efforts to attract foreign tourists. On the 18th, it will invite about 200 tour interpreters in Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian languages to introduce its stores, in-store brands, and customer benefits.
Nam said, "Allowing visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists will be a positive turning point for the domestic tourism industry and the duty-free sector," and added, "We will offer a differentiated shopping experience to tourists visiting Korea during the National Day holiday."