Lotte Duty Free has signed a Myeongdong Special Tourism Zone agreement to boost visitor numbers to the area.

Korea-based retailer Lotte Duty Free has signed an agreement with the Myeongdong Special Tourism Zone Council to promote tourism in the region. 

The agreement, signed on 28 August, will see Lotte Duty Free launch a number of joint marketing activities to attract tourists to the area. 

Initiatives include constructing a Myeongdong-themed sculpture, and hosting a photo zone. 

Lotte will also create a K-culture experience hall with promotion zones.

The move comes after Myeongdong recently welcomed the first Chinese tour group tourists after a six-year hiatus. 

The signing ceremony took place at Lotte Duty Free’s Myeongdong Main Branch store in Jung-gu, Seoul. 

Kim Joo-nam, Lotte Duty Free CEO, and Kim Byung-hee, chairman of the Myeongdong Special Tourism Zone Council, signed the document on behalf of both of their organisations.

Myeongdong Special Tourism Zone: creating a ‘lively’ area

The Myeongdong Special Tourism Zone Council was created in 1983 to promote the area as Korea’s leading tourism and shopping centre. It boasts over 300 companies as members. 

Lotte Duty Free joined the council now to help bolster the region following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

It has committed to using its own cultural and commercial facilities, as well as its social media channels, to promote the Myeongdong area.

“Lotte Duty Free will strive to develop tourism infrastructure and co-exist with local business circles so that Myeongdong can be lively and many tourists can visit as it was before the pandemic,” said Kim Joo-nam (from translation).

“We will continue to promote Myeongdong at home and abroad by utilising the channels and capabilities of Lotte Duty Free.”

Lotte has recently hosted a number of events to engage with tourists. In June, it held its Lotte Duty Free Family Concert for the first time in four years. Over 30,000 customers attended the event from Korea, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 

The retailer added that it is working with travel agencies and airlines to hold events in major cities across China to attract foreign tourists back to Korea.