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Tourism, retail sectors gear up for more Chinese group tourists

Published: 28 Sep. 2025, 14:37

Pedestrians and tourists walk under umbrellas on Myeongdong Street in central Seoul on Sept. 28. [YONHAP]

Korea's tourism and retail industries are gearing up for an expected influx of Chinese travelers as temporary visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups takes effect Monday.

From Monday through June 30 next year, Chinese group tourists of three or more, organized by designated domestic and overseas travel agencies, will be allowed to enter Korea without a visa for up to 15 days. On Jeju Island, visa-free entry of up to 30 days for both individual and group travelers will remain unchanged.

The government expects the measure to attract an additional 1 million Chinese visitors by June 2026 as part of efforts to boost inbound tourism.

The policy rollout coincides with China's weeklong National Day holiday from Oct. 1-7, one of the country's busiest travel periods, which is expected to serve as an early test of its impact.

Industry officials anticipate only a limited effect in the short term, as the visa-free plan was announced in August after many Chinese tourists had already booked their October trips. But the officials expect arrivals to rise toward the end of this year and into early 2026.

The move follows Beijing's decision last November to grant temporary visa waivers to visitors from Korea and several other countries through the end of next year.

Chinese arrivals to Korea have been rebounding, with 392,000 visitors in October last year, about 69 percent of the pre-pandemic level in the same month of 2019. There were 602,000 visitors from China in July this year.

Korean businesses, including hotels, resorts, department stores and duty-free retailers, are stepping up marketing campaigns to attract Chinese customers.

Shilla Duty Free has prepared promotions for passengers arriving Monday on the Dream, a large cruise ship from Tianjin docking at Incheon, offering gifts and discounts of up to 60 percent on popular cosmetics.

Lotte Department Store is providing gifts to Chinese shoppers at its flagship outlet, while Amorepacific Corp. plans to open two Sulwhasoo pop-up stores at Incheon International Airport.

Yonhap