Chinese tourists are making a comeback, led by Millennials and Gen Z.
In October this year, 223,319 Chinese tourists visited South Korea, up 12.3 times within a year compared to 18,109 the previous year. The number has recovered to half of the 480,000 in October 2019 before the Covid.
The young Chinese tourists show the stark contrast from the ‘Yukers’ who used to binge shopping for luxury goods at duty-free shops. Foreign sales at duty-free shops in October of this year totalled 1.1 trillion won($841 million) showing just 12.% increase from that of the previous month. Sales by Chinese tourists were even lower. Lotte Duty Free reported that sales by Chinese tourists decreased 40% from 2019 and 20% from 2022, respectively.
Instead of shopping at duty-free shops and department stores, young Chinese tourists are visiting photogenic spots, cafes, and hidden gems. According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s Tourism Data Lab on Dec. 21, 1.542 million Chinese tourists arrived in Korea from January to October this year. Among them, 67.5% are under 40 and 40% are under the age of 30, respectively, which means half of Chinese tourists are in their 20s and 30s.
Young Chinese in their 20s and 30s are called the “Tang Ping generation,” which means a generation looking for work and life balance rather than focusing only on work like their predecessors.
These tourists who are relatively affluent, well-educated, artificial savvy, and have a clear preference. Jeju Mok government office (mokkwana) and Yerae Eco Experience Center in Seogwipo, became one of the most visited places by Chinese with the increase of young Chinese tourists.
“The places where you can take unique pictures became popular with young Chinese tourists,” said a member of the Jeju Tourism Organization’s global marketing team.
On the other hand, they tend to spend less money on shopping. According to an analysis of data on the use of UnionPay cards by Chinese tourists in Korea from January to September this year, the duty-free sales by Chinese tourists occupies 35.9 per cent, about half of the spendings during the same period in 2019. With the ability to buy almost anything online, the so-called Tang Ping generation in China doesn’t seem to put much importance on shopping by itself.
