Kijun Times

By Kim Rahn

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea has been skyrocketing in recent years, from 2.83 million in 2012 to 4.32 million in 2013 and 6.12 million last year. The count has already reached 2.06 million in the first four months of this year, the Korea Tourism Organization said Thursday.

In a survey of 1,070 Chinese travelers by the Seoul Metropolitan Government last year, 91.1 percent said one of the reasons for their visit was shopping, followed by experiencing Korean food, which was mentioned by 62.4 percent, as multiple replies were allowed.

As the total number of Chinese tourists has grown, their combined spending here has also increased. However, per-capita spending has been decreasing. According to Lotte Department Store, Chinese customers spent about 1 million won on average in 2012. But the amount dropped to 900,000 won in 2013, 650,000 won in 2014, and 580,000 won this year through May 20.

Experts say the decrease is because younger tourists are coming in search of cheap cosmetic products rather than luxury goods, and because Chinese people prefer Japan to Korea as a shopping destination due to the weakness of the yen.