SEOUL, KOREA - Of the foreign tourists visiting Korea, the Chinese tend to shop in downtown duty free shops while the Japanese frequent small-sized specialty stores for cosmetics and accessories. The Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry said on May 7 based on results of a survey on 150 Chinese and Japanese tourists on their way back home that 76.7 percent (multiple selection permitted) of the Chinese answered they preferred downtown duty free shops.

 

It was then followed by department stores (49.3%) and airport duty free shops (47.3%). As for Japanese tourists, small specialty shops took the No. 1 position at 60.0 percent, followed by downtown duty free shops (50.0%) and department stores (47.3%).

 

The two tourist groups also differed in favorite shopping items. Chinese respondents picked cosmetics (86.7%), clothing items (61.3%), and Oriental medicine herbs (39.3%) as most favored items they purchase in Korea. Meanwhile, the Japanese said their most preferred items included garment (60.7%), cosmetics (52.7%), and dried seafood such as seaweed (52.7%).

 

Both tourist groups said their favorite hangout area is Myungdong (86.7% for the Chinese and 81.3% for the Japanese). For the Chinese, it was followed by Dongdaemun (72.0%), Insa-dong (28.7%), and Gangnam (23.3%). Japanese tourists liked Namdaemun better at 51.3 percent, followed by Dongdaemun (38.0%) and Insa-dong (36.7%).

 

Lee Young-jun, Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry senior manager in charge of retail industry policy analysis, said, "It seems the Chinese go to Dongdaemun Market to buy Oriental medicine herbs after buying cosmetic and clothing items in Myungdong. In contrast, the Japanese walk to Namdaemun Market to buy dried seaweed after shopping around in Myungdong."

 

According to the survey, there were more "big spending" tourists among the Chinese than their Japanese counterparts. The percentage of tourists who said they spent more than 1 million won in shopping was 38.7 percent for the Chinese and 28.7 percent for the Japanese. For the first three months in 2014, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea was 1,046,771, up 44.9 percent from the same period last year. The corresponding number for Japanese visitors was 609,061, down 14.5 percent from a year ago.