"She Comes Every Three Months to Stock Up"... Surge of Foreign Visitors Entering Korea for Olive Young Sale

Elevenfold Surge Over Three Years
Repeat Customer Numbers Continue to Grow
Over 6,200 Foreign Visitors Came More Than Three Times Last Year
Non-Capital Area Sales Up 72%, Global Mall Traffic Also Soars
K-Beauty Becomes a Leading Touris

The number of foreign customers visiting Korea during CJ Olive Young's regular discount event, 'Olive Young Sale,' is rapidly increasing.

According to data analysis conducted by Olive Young and Global Tax Free (GTF), the number of foreigners who visited Korea and shopped for K-beauty products during the Olive Young Sale periods in March and June this year surged elevenfold compared to three years ago, as announced on June 22. The number of foreigners who visit Korea more than twice a year to coincide with the sale periods has also nearly doubled every year since 2023.

Last year, more than 6,200 foreign tourists visited Korea three or more times during the Olive Young Sale periods. Considering that tax refund eligibility requires departure from the country within a certain period, it is analyzed that these customers returned to their home countries and then re-entered Korea for shopping.

The Olive Young Sale is a large-scale event held four times a year in March, June, September, and December, with over 1,500 beauty brands participating. Olive Young believes that foreigners’ satisfaction with K-beauty products and shopping convenience during their visits, as well as with the products after returning home, leads to repeat visits.

Foreign consumer spending is spreading not only in major tourist areas such as Seoul but also to regional areas. During the June sale period, foreign customer sales at non-metropolitan stores rose by 72% compared to the same period last year, surpassing the nationwide average increase of 45%. As overseas consumer interest has grown, the number of visitors to the Olive Young Global Mall during the same period increased by more than 180% year-on-year.

Olive Young plans to strengthen K-beauty curation and shopping convenience services for foreign customers to meet the expanding tourism demand.

An Olive Young representative stated, "The growing number of foreigners returning to Korea during the Olive Young Sale period demonstrates that Olive Young has established itself as a K-beauty shopping destination," adding, "We will work to further enhance foreign tourists’ satisfaction and expand the opportunities for domestic brands to connect with global customers."

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