'2020 Asia Duty-Free Business Confex' to be Held in Jeju on the 17th of Next Month

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] The ‘2020 Asia Duty Free Confex - Jeju Duty Free Business Conference’ will be held to establish agreed countermeasures among duty-free operators in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era and to flexibly respond to the rapidly changing global duty-free market.

The 2020 Asia Duty Free Confex Organizing Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Organizing Committee) announced on the 16th that the Jeju Duty Free Business Conference will be held in a non-face-to-face format at ICC JEJU on the 17th of next month.

The theme of the conference is ‘A New Vision for Sustainable Growth of Asia Duty Free Business.’

Hosted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, this event is jointly organized by Jeju International Convention Center (ICC JEJU) and Jeju Economic Daily, and supported by Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC).

Due to the COVID-19 situation, the conference will be held without an audience and remotely, and the entire conference will be recorded and broadcast online (via the official website).

The conference will feature a keynote presentation by Ryu In-pyeong, President of the Tourism Management Association, on ‘Cooperation Measures for Sustainable Growth of Asia Duty Free Business,’ and presentations by National Assembly member Oh Young-hoon and officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance on ‘Government and Local Government Policy Development Directions and Institutional Support Plans for Duty-Free Business Development.’

Discussions involving the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Council’s Post-COVID-19 Response Special Committee, Korea Duty Free Shop Association, JDC, Jeju Tourism Organization, and domestic duty-free operators will also take place, along with sharing successful cases of duty-free store entries.

As a side event, a sales event for Jeju regional products and agricultural and marine products, guaranteed in quality by duty-free operators, will be held.

Through ‘Miko Market,’ hosted by influencers who are former Miss Korea contestants, Jeju regional products and agricultural and marine products will be sold in real-time starting from the 10th of next month. For agricultural and marine products such as tangerines and horned turban shells, which cannot be sold in duty-free stores, sales will be conducted via drive-thru markets at ICC JEJU and Jeju English Education City.

The Organizing Committee officially launched on the 13th and began full-scale activities. Attendees at the launch ceremony included representatives from ICC JEJU, JDC, Jeju Tourism Organization, Lotte Duty Free, and Jeju Economic Daily.

Kim Ui-geun, Co-Chairman and President of ICC JEJU, said at the launch ceremony, “This year’s event will be held on a smaller scale than originally planned due to COVID-19 and budget constraints. We will strive to explore ways to develop Korea’s duty-free business and to create a network among operators, government, and local governments.”

Kang Chang-su, Co-Chairman and CEO of Jeju Economic Daily, said, “This event was organized to ensure that duty-free operators can earn profits and to protect consumers’ rights. Through this event, we aim to lead the high value-added MICE industry.”

Jeju Provincial Assembly member Moon Kyung-woon, attending as an organizing committee member, said, “Since duty-free stores in the province generate annual revenues of around 2.5 trillion won, we will also consider how this amount can be returned to the residents.”

Assembly member Lee Seung-ah said, “Coexistence and cooperation between duty-free operators and local residents are important. We will ensure that this event can accommodate residents and expand globally.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.