Increased cruise routes from China are boosting in-store footfall.

Lotte Duty Free has unveiled a major Lunar New Year campaign targeting cruise tour groups and foreign independent travellers (FITs).

With the expansion of cruise routes from China, group traffic has resumed across the retailer’s key locations. On 6 February, around 2,300 Chinese passengers arriving on the MSC Bellissima — the largest cruise vessel to call at Incheon Port to date — visited Lotte Duty Free’s Myeongdong flagship store.

The group included high-spending travellers, including executives from the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, one of China’s largest merchant associations. Top-selling categories included cosmetics, handbags, watches and Korean speciality products.

Regional stores are also benefiting from the cruise rebound. Busan Port, which recorded just eight Chinese cruise calls in 2025, is forecast to receive approximately 170 this year. During the Lunar New Year holiday period alone, around 4,000 cruise passengers are expected to visit Lotte Duty Free’s Busan and Jeju stores.

Alongside organised group traffic, Lotte Duty Free is targeting FITs travelling during the spring travel season. Until 23 February, foreign customers at downtown stores are eligible for tiered PRE LDF PAY and LDF PAY rewards. Additional incentives are offered for payments made via Alipay, a key payment platform for travellers from Greater China.

During the LNY holiday period, around 4,000 cruise passengers are expected to visit Lotte Duty Free’s Busan and Jeju stores.

As part of the Korea Grand Sale campaign, foreign visitors to the Myeongdong Tourist Information Centre will receive discount coupons and membership tier upgrade benefits.

A promotional “gacha” event will also award 2,026 customers with gift cards worth KRW 10,000 (US$7). Lotte Duty Free confirmed that these experiential promotions have boosted sales by +510% year-on-year.

Online, Lotte is offering additional discounts for purchases made with UnionPay during the holiday period, supporting its omni-channel sales strategy.

Alongside organised group traffic, Lotte Duty Free is also targeting FITs with special promotions during the spring travel season.

Promotions targeting domestic customers, featuring tiered LDF PAY rewards across fashion, watches and jewellery, are also being implemented across selected stores during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Lotte Duty Free Head of Marketing Nam Gong-pyo commented: “As cruise routes from China show clear signs of recovery, we are focused on elevating service quality at every customer touchpoint.

“We will continue to work closely with inbound travel agencies to secure group traffic while simultaneously delivering differentiated, customised benefits for independent travellers.”

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