Jeju launches islandwide 'shopping festa' sale for foreign tourists
Foreign visitors using overseas mobile payment services can receive discounts of up to 20% at about 32,000 Zero Pay-affiliated merchants, from traditional markets and restaurants to tourist attractions, retail stores and public transportation services.
Tourists explore the Seongeup Folk Village in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on April 18.YONHAP
JEJU ISLAND — Jeju Island launched a promotional shopping event, offering discounts on overseas mobile payment platforms to translate a surge in foreign visitors into higher spending at local businesses.
The Jeju provincial government and the Jeju Tourism Organization are jointly holding the “2026 Jeju Tourism & Shopping Festa” from July through August, considered the island’s peak tourist season, according to the two parties on Thursday.
Foreign visitors using overseas mobile payment services can receive discounts of up to 20 percent at about 32,000 Zero Pay-affiliated merchants across the island. Zero Pay is a Korean mobile payment service.
Various businesses — ranging from traditional markets, restaurants and cafes to tourist attractions, retail stores and public transportation services — are participating in the program.
Chinese users of Alipay+ can download promotional coupons to receive up to three 20 percent discounts on purchases, with a maximum discount of 30 yuan ($4.40) per transaction.
Users of other mobile wallets, including Hong Kong’s AlipayHK, the Philippines’ GCash, Malaysia’s Touch ‘n Go eWallet, Macau’s MPay and Thailand’s TrueMoney, can also receive a 20 percent discount up to five times, with a maximum discount of 5,000 won ($3.20) per transaction.
Donghwa Village in Jeju Island on July 1YONHAP
The number of foreign visitors to Jeju has increased sharply this year.
Over 1.21 million foreign tourists visited the island during the first half of the year, up 19.5 percent from the same period last year, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.
The increase has been driven by expanded international flight services, particularly from China, Japan and Southeast Asia, and the growing share of foreigners in international air traffic.
Nearly 1.06 million foreign passengers used Jeju Air’s international routes during the first five months of this year, up 23 percent from a year earlier, according to the carrier.
Chinese tourists are effectively sustaining demand for the service. On Jeju Air’s Jeju-Beijing route, foreigners accounted for 97 percent of all passengers.
Tourists crowd Jeju International Airport on April 30, 2025.YONHAP
The increase in foreign tourism has also benefited Jeju’s casino industry.
The casino at Jeju Dream Tower Integrated Resort, operated within Grand Hyatt Jeju, posted a revenue of 192.6 billion won in the second quarter of this year, the highest on record. Les A Casino at Jeju Shinhwa World also reported about a significant increase in visitor numbers.
The Jeju Tourism Organization plans to strengthen on-site promotions for the event at Jeju International Airport, traditional markets and major shopping districts while expanding overseas marketing in partnership with the Korea Easy Payment Foundation and Alipay+.
“We plan to operate the campaign in a way that not only improves payment convenience for foreign visitors but also leads to higher sales for local small businesses and commercial districts,” Moon Jung-hyuk, the head of public relations at the Jeju Tourism Organization, said. “We will continue to develop a mutually beneficial model in which tourism spending spreads throughout the local economy.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
