The Busan Sand salted caramel sandwich cookie.

Lotte Duty Free has strengthened its Korean food (K-food) product lineup with the introduction of a new Busan Sand snack at its Gimhae Airport branch and by opening a K-Market at its Gimpo Airport store.

The Busan Sand dessert cookie sandwich has been brought to life as a result of winning an ‘Airport Specialized Product Development Contest’ held by Korea Airports Corporation, which was carried out in collaboration with Korombang Confectionery with a goal to create souvenirs representing Busan.

Busan Sand has a ‘Busan sea salted caramel flavour’, reflecting the trend for sweet and salty foods, and a shelf life of 12 months, making it good for gifting.

The K-Market at Lotte’s Gimpo Airport branch showcases Korean food brands from more than 10 small- and medium-sized companies, such as Kimbugak (a dried seaweed snack), cup stir-fry and Yakwa donuts.

Among the offerings is Hangeul Kwaja, which is described as an experiential souvenir that allows customers to ‘play with Hangul’, such as making words through alphabet biscuits in the shape of Hangul letters (made from 100% plant-based raw materials).

“We have strengthened our product lineup to increase the satisfaction of domestic and foreign customers in line with the K-food trend,” said a Lotte Duty Free spokesperson.

“Lotte Duty Free will continue to strive to provide a variety of experiences centred on K-content.”

Nidhi Agrawal and Tyler Rasch, Co-founders of Hangeul Kwaja Kalphabets, touring the K-Market at the Lotte Duty Free Gimpo Airport branch.

Demand for duty free food categories centred on the K-food trend, has been increasing in recent months, according to Lotte Duty Free.

The travel retailer’s food sales from January to July this year increased by approximately 22% compared to the same period last year, say the company.

In response, Lotte is introducing various K-food brands that highlight characteristics of the region, drawing on its product sourcing capabilities and brand collaborations.

Further developments of late have included a Busan souvenirs shop at Lotte Duty Free’s Gimhae Airport branch, building on the existing such concept at its Busan branch.

Based on the MOU signed with the Busan Tourism Organization in April, the initiative has brought together more than 300 types of Busan’s representative products from 30 companies.

Products inspired by the region can also be found at Lotte Duty Free’s Jeju Airport branch. Here, the food zone in the store showed a year-on-year sales increase of approximately 142% as of July, following a series of strategic openings.

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