Lotte Duty Free, Temporary Closure of Jeju Downtown Store Starting June 1

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Lotte Duty Free announced on the 28th that it will temporarily close its Jeju City store, located in Yeon-dong, Jeju City, starting June 1.

This decision comes as a result of the global spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the subsequent entry restrictions imposed by various countries, which have led to a sharp decline in foreign tourists visiting Jeju. According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Tourism Association, the number of foreign tourists visiting Jeju in April was 1,159, a 99.2% decrease compared to the same month last year (139,360). In particular, since April 6, international flights at Jeju International Airport have been suspended due to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's measure to centralize international flights at Incheon Airport.

Lotte Duty Free Jeju store had been operating with reduced hours since February, but faced difficulties as sales in May plummeted by approximately 95% compared to the previous year.

A Lotte Duty Free official stated, "We have been striving to continue operations since the COVID-19 outbreak, but with the suspension of operations at Jeju International Airport and the resulting lack of departing passengers, temporary closure has become unavoidable."

Lotte Duty Free plans to promptly resume operations at the Jeju store once the international COVID-19 situation stabilizes.