Hyundai Department Store has moved to target foreign tourists transiting through Korea.
Hyundai Department Store said on the 27th it will run a "K-culture transit tour" through the 19th of next month so foreign tourists transiting through Korea can experience shopping and culinary culture during their layovers.
The transit tour is being carried out through four-party cooperation among Hyundai Department Store, Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), the Visit Korea Committee, and Paldo Co., and this is the first time a retailer has partnered on a transit tour course operated by Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC).
The K-culture transit tour departs Incheon International Airport at 10 a.m. every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, spends about four hours at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, then returns to the airport.
Participants are selected by Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) at about 40 people per day through online reservations and on-site registration, and a round-trip shuttle service operates for convenient travel between the airport and The Hyundai Seoul.
After arriving at The Hyundai Seoul, customers can join a Korean cuisine cooking class taught by a professional instructor at CH 1985, the sixth-floor culture center. Depending on the visit date, they will make dishes such as royal tteokbokki, bulgogi kimbap, and mushroom japchae.
Foreign transit passengers have responded positively. On the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, the first week of the K-culture transit tour's operation, the tours, which recruited 40 people on a first-come, first-served basis, closed early during the reservation stage. Participants expressed high satisfaction at being able to experience Korean cuisine and shopping culture in one place during a short layover.
A new trend in travel itineraries is using layover time to experience the signature landmarks of a stopover country. In fact, major transit hub cities such as Dubai and Singapore are actively operating tourism products centered on shopping facilities for transit passengers.
A Hyundai Department Store official said, "We plan to continue refining our marketing strategy by consistently developing content tailored to foreign customers' interests and stay patterns."