During Lunar New Year Holidays, Tourists Visiting Jeju Spend Money 'Freely'... Ten Times More Than Last Year

Jeju Island, BC Card Payment Analysis Results
Approximately 170,000 KRW Spent per Person Using BC Card

This year, Chinese tourists visiting Jeju during the Lunar New Year holiday spent nearly 10 times more than last year, according to an analysis.

On the 25th, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced data on 'Chinese Tourist Spending Trends During This Year's Lunar New Year Holiday.' This analysis was based on credit card (BC Card) payment amounts made within the province from the 9th to the 12th. As a result, Chinese tourists spent approximately 201.6 million KRW over four days. This is nearly 10 times (9.7 times) higher than the 21.1 million KRW spent during the four days of last year's Lunar New Year holiday (from the 21st to the 24th).

An event welcoming Chinese tourists arriving on a direct flight from Shanghai was held on the 8th at the international arrivals area on the 1st floor of Jeju International Airport ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The average spending per Chinese tourist was 171,541 KRW, more than twice the average spending per domestic tourist, which was 81,871 KRW. Notably, spending was prominent at duty-free shops and Korean food restaurants. The consumption share by industry was as follows: duty-free shops (44.79%), Korean food service industry (14.59%), large general retail (11.28%), sports and recreational goods rental (7.53%), hotel industry (6.47%), chain convenience stores (3.68%), health supplement retail (2.07%), cosmetics and fragrance retail (1.66%), and Western-style restaurants (1.28%). Jeju Province explained that the share of the food service sector has increased compared to before COVID-19 in 2019. In 2019, the consumption share of Korean food restaurants by Chinese tourists was only 5%.

Jeju Province identified improved conditions for visiting Jeju, such as visa-free entry permits, as the main factors behind the increase in Chinese spending despite the economic downturn in China. During this Lunar New Year holiday period, about 60 direct flights from China operated to Jeju Airport, and many reservations were made for semi-free travel packages to Jeju, which allows visa-free visits from Seoul. Additionally, the 85,000-ton cruise ship Mediterrania from China visited Jeju, carrying about 16,000 tourists.

Jeju Province is strengthening local marketing tours in China and prioritizes berth allocation for cruise passengers when Chinese cruise ships dock and passengers go sightseeing. The province plans to continue seeking various ways to positively contribute to the local economy through tourism revitalization and will make ongoing efforts to enhance Jeju's tourism competitiveness.

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