Domestic Duty-Free Store Sales Plummet After 4 Months... 14% Decrease Compared to May

On the afternoon of the 29th, the duty-free shops in the departure hall of Incheon International Airport appeared quiet. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Domestic duty-free shop sales have decreased for the first time in four months. According to the Korea Duty Free Shop Association on the 30th, duty-free shop sales in June amounted to 1.3479 trillion won, down about 14% from May.

Duty-free shop sales increased from 1.1687 trillion won in February, 1.4347 trillion won in March, 1.5574 trillion won in April, to 1.5687 trillion won in May. Among these, May sales were the highest since February last year, when the COVID-19 outbreak began in earnest.

The decrease in sales in June was largely due to a 14% drop in foreigner sales, which account for 95% of the total, compared to the previous month. The number of domestic and foreign visitors was 593,372, a 1% decrease from the previous month, showing little difference.