Myeong-dong, Seoul’s iconic shopping district, is coming back to life after China lifted restrictions on group tours to Korea last week. A once-familiar sight ― Chinese tourists, armed with shopping lists inspired by social media, filling their bags with popular Korean beauty products ― is becoming more visible again.
As one of the main retail districts of Korea returns to life, the country’s tourism industry and government are busy preparing for the anticipated wave of Chinese visitors, who have traditionally comprised a significant portion of inbound visitors to the country.
On Friday, the buzz was palpable in Myeong-dong as foreign tourists, many of whom were Chinese, navigated stores and used their mobile phones to communicate with shop attendants.
“I made a shopping list of Korean beauty products after seeing reviews on social media,” a Chinese traveler in her 20s, who wished to remain anonymous, said while sharing her shopping experience with The Korea Times at a cosmetic store in Myeong-dong, Friday, holding a basket filled with face masks and other cosmetics products.
“I heard that face masks and lotions here are not too expensive and are really good in quality,” she said, explaining she bought these items in bulk as gifts for family and friends. For the remainder of her stay, she plans to shop for clothes and accessories and visit dessert cafes.
On Friday, the buzz was palpable in Myeong-dong as foreign tourists, many of whom were Chinese, navigated stores and used their mobile phones to communicate with shop attendants.
“I made a shopping list of Korean beauty products after seeing reviews on social media,” a Chinese traveler in her 20s, who wished to remain anonymous, said while sharing her shopping experience with The Korea Times at a cosmetic store in Myeong-dong, Friday, holding a basket filled with face masks and other cosmetics products.
“I heard that face masks and lotions here are not too expensive and are really good in quality,” she said, explaining she bought these items in bulk as gifts for family and friends. For the remainder of her stay, she plans to shop for clothes and accessories and visit dessert cafes.
Several cosmetics stores in the shopping district were preparing for the return of Chinese travelers, who are avid fans of Korean beauty products, with some shops even putting up signs saying “Welcome” in Mandarin.
“Although we still don’t see that many Chinese tourists, we’re expecting to see a lot more in the near future,” a cosmetics store staffer surnamed Jung said while displaying one-plus-one face mask packages on an outdoor stand. “A group of Chinese tourists who visited us yesterday bought many of these face masks and lotions.”
Another cosmetics store manager surnamed Kim also shared the optimism, noting that merchants in the area believe it is only a “matter of time” before Chinese visitors grow in number after the group tour restrictions were lifted last week.
“We welcome all travelers, but with the return of Chinese group tours, we expect to see an increase in sales. That’s why we’re hiring staff who can speak Mandarin, so that we can cater to Chinese visitors better,” she said.
The lifting of restrictions has been met with enthusiasm in the area, with several shops specifically seeking Mandarin-speaking staff to deal with the expected rise in visitors from China.
“Although we still don’t see that many Chinese tourists, we’re expecting to see a lot more in the near future,” a cosmetics store staffer surnamed Jung said while displaying one-plus-one face mask packages on an outdoor stand. “A group of Chinese tourists who visited us yesterday bought many of these face masks and lotions.”
Another cosmetics store manager surnamed Kim also shared the optimism, noting that merchants in the area believe it is only a “matter of time” before Chinese visitors grow in number after the group tour restrictions were lifted last week.
“We welcome all travelers, but with the return of Chinese group tours, we expect to see an increase in sales. That’s why we’re hiring staff who can speak Mandarin, so that we can cater to Chinese visitors better,” she said.
The lifting of restrictions has been met with enthusiasm in the area, with several shops specifically seeking Mandarin-speaking staff to deal with the expected rise in visitors from China.
