Korea Grand Sale' is held for 79 days from August 14th to October 31st, with more special and unprecedented benefits, in order to recover quickly from the shrunk tourism demand to Korea and to activate domestic economy including travel industry.
Visit Korea Committee (Chairman Park Sam-Gu) hosts Korea Grand Sale, which used to be held in off-season during winter, earlier than previous years, in order to give a boost to the stagnant tourist industry. Many relevant government departments, such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Korea Custom Service, in addition to Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Airports Corporation, Incheon International Airport Corporation, The Federation of Korean Industries and travel industry, participate very actively for successful early hosting of the event in particular. Synergy effect is expected through such public-private cooperation.
Until now (Aug 3rd), 20,519 stores from 222 businesses of different type, such as department stores, duty free, airlines, hotels, performances, transportation and theme parts, have joined in and are showing high rate of participation in spite of the short recruitment period. Prior to this event, a Pre-Korea Grand Sale will be held for a week starting from August 14th, where a selected few companies offer you a blowout sale in advance.
Some of the greatest benefits for foreign visitors include 50% discount on a free pass for Everland and 80% discount at most for some brands at Lotte Duty Free. Ibis Ambassador Hotel at Myeongdong provides a free additional night by the order of arrival, once the traveler stays for a night with the night, worth the price of a junior suite room. Aritaum, the representative brand of Amore Pacific, also provides 50% of discount at most for each item.
Moreover, popular performances and shows will provide 50% discount for foreigners to enjoy various cultural experience in addition to shopping. 'Culture Day,' which provides an opportunity for various cultural experiences, such as the palaces and museums, with discounted cost on the last Wednesdays of every month, will be informed more actively so that more foreigners can enjoy the benefits during their visit to Korea. By showing many possible choices for shopping and tourism, including the introduction of popular menu at the traditional markets and the direction to get to such market, while leading the tourist to design their own trip, our plan is to create Korea where visitors wish to come back again for such precious memories and communication with Korean people.
Opening Welcome Event, the official beginning of this event, will be held simultaneously at all the major airports, including Incheon and Gimpo International Airport, on the opening day. Furthermore, "Must-Eat Week" will be added to the special theme week, which received fervent responses from the previous event along with various free gift events such as magic box, with the existing "Must-Do, Must-Buy, and Must-See Week." The special theme week will cooperate with many relevant businesses and provide a lot of benefits.
Meanwhile, online advertisement to inform this shockingly fabulous benefits of Korea Grand Sale will be on major medias, including 'Sina.com,' the representative online portal site of China, from July to August. Business fair for domestic travel businesses and media will be held at China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, in order to introduce Korea as a destination to the overseas travel market.
For reference, Korea Grand Sale business fair was held for the businesses and stores who are willing to participate at Ferrum Tower on July 23rd. 150 people from different industries participated and showed special interest. To spread such mood to the whole country, we will continue with the recruitment of participants through Korea Grand Sale Website until August 31st.
The Secretary-General of Visit Korea Committee, Han Kyung-Ah, said that "Korea Grand Sale is a great opportunity and a challenge to escape from the crisis and create new hopeful atmosphere for the tourism industry." She added, "We will try our best to help the foreigners, who visit Korea during the event, to enjoy not only shopping but also tourism and cultural experiences." She emphasized that "active cooperation from both government and companies is necessary for successful hosting of Korea Grand Sale, the representative shopping and tourism festival of Korea."