Heading to Southeast Asia for Winter Vacation... Unexpected Boom in Sales of Swimsuits and Sunglasses

Swimsuit and Sunglasses Sales
Increase by 21.8% and 109.7% Respectively
Some Popular Swimsuits Sold Out

On the 5th, passengers on Jeju Air's Chiang Mai flight were checking in their luggage at Incheon Airport. Jeju Air began operating charter flights on the Thailand Chiang Mai route starting that day. This is the first charter flight for golf tourism on the Chiang Mai route since COVID-19.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Office worker Kang Suhyun (32) is planning a trip to Thailand in January next year. Excited about her first overseas trip in two years, Kang recently purchased new items such as sunglasses and swimsuits to use at her travel destination. She said, "I bought a few new things to fully enjoy the mood of my long-awaited overseas trip," adding, "I'm already excited thinking about going to a place with summer weather in the middle of winter."

According to the distribution industry on the 8th, sales of swimsuits and sunglasses at Shinsegae Department Store increased by 21.8% and 109.7%, respectively, from the same period last year, from the 23rd of last month to the 3rd of this month. Items that were not very popular during the summer season are now seeing a sharp increase in sales as winter approaches. This is because the overseas travel restrictions are beginning to be lifted, and the number of people preparing to travel to warm Southeast Asian countries this winter is rapidly increasing.

Some swimsuits are even sold out. Many popular swimsuit brands' products in high-demand sizes, such as medium, are sold out on online shopping malls like Musinsa and SI Village. Sales of products related to 'summer vacation looks,' including sunglasses, are also reported to have increased compared to last year.

Travel-related online communities are already posting reviews of overseas trips to places like Thailand. Posts seeking advice or confirming reservations for year-end or early next year overseas trips are being posted one after another, showing a rapid increase in overseas travel demand. According to Wemakeprice, an analysis of overseas flight ticket sales data last month showed that transaction amounts increased by up to 790% compared to the previous month, and nearly 90% of these customers purchased tickets for immediate departure within the year.

The distribution industry is also resuming sales of overseas travel products that had been suspended. CJ OnStyle, in collaboration with Kyowon KRT, offered five popular European package tours that attracted orders from about 3,600 customers within an hour, generating approximately 13 billion KRW in sales. Lotte Home Shopping sold packages for trips to Turkey, Spain, Dubai, Egypt, and more through Interpark, recruiting 10,000 reservations and about 20,000 travelers.

A distribution industry official explained, "As the pent-up desire for overseas travel due to COVID-19 begins to ease, we expect 'revenge consumption' to increase significantly," adding, "Not only travel products but also off-season clothing to be used at travel destinations are expected to see a substantial rise in consumption."

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