Free Bus Service 3 Times Daily from Gongsangseo to Myeongdong
7 out of 10 Tourists Visit Olive Young in First Half of Year
Enhanced Shopping Convenience for Foreigners
CJ Olive Young will pilot a dedicated bus service called ‘Olive Young Express’ that operates three one-way trips daily from Incheon Airport to Myeongdong for foreigners until January 31 next year. The plan is to encourage experiencing K-Beauty by operating a free direct bus from Incheon Airport to Myeongdong, a representative tourist commercial district.
According to Olive Young on the 5th, the proportion of foreign sales in the Myeongdong commercial district exceeds 90%. It is estimated that about 6 million foreigners entered Korea for tourism purposes in the first half of this year, and during the same period, 4 million foreign tourists visited Olive Young. It was recorded that about 7 out of 10 tourists visiting Korea came to Olive Young in the first half of the year. Foreign sales at six Olive Young branches in Myeongdong, a representative tourist commercial district, also grew by 168% compared to the previous year during the same period.
A foreign tourist arriving at Incheon Airport boarding the 'Olive Young Express,' a dedicated Olive Young bus connecting the airport and Myeongdong. [Photo by Olive Young]
Since Myeongdong has become a must-visit shopping course for tourists visiting Korea and is known as the ‘K-Beauty Mecca,’ Olive Young decided to operate the bus to directly introduce various small and medium-sized enterprise brand products to foreign customers. The service utilizes route 6701 operated by K Airport Limousine, and instead of stopping in front of a specific Olive Young store, it stops at the entrance of Myeongdong to improve overall accessibility to the commercial district.
The Olive Young Express can only be used by foreign customers who make reservations through the travel leisure platform ‘Klook.’ The fare is free, and passengers can board after receiving a QR code upon reservation. It will operate without holidays for six months until the end of January, departing daily at 9:00, 13:30, and 18:00 from Incheon Airport Terminal 1 and running one-way to Myeongdong Haeun Center (63 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul).
Special benefits are also prepared exclusively for passengers. Each month, one popular K-Beauty product will be selected and provided for free. In the first month of operation, a sample of ‘Bring Green Tea Tree Cica Pore Clay Pack Strong’ will be given. Additionally, customers who visit Olive Young stores in Myeongdong with the issued ‘Olive Young Voucher’ will receive a coupon for an immediate 10,000 KRW discount on purchases over 100,000 KRW and samples. The voucher also contains information about the locations of six Olive Young stores in the Myeongdong commercial district as well as major tourist attractions.
An Olive Young official stated, “We planned the ‘Olive Young Express’ to provide foreigners with a convenient shopping experience and to give a positive impression of K-Beauty and Olive Young.” They added, “Olive Young stores will establish themselves as the ‘K-Beauty Mecca’ by introducing high-quality K-Beauty brands to foreign customers as quickly as possible while offering easy experiences.”
Meanwhile, as the global popularity of K-Beauty surges, foreign sales in various regional commercial districts beyond Myeongdong are also increasing. In fact, foreign sales at Olive Young stores nationwide grew by 189% year-on-year in the first half of the year. Sales in emerging tourist commercial districts such as Gangnam in Seoul, Busan, and Jeju also surged by more than 300%. Additionally, Olive Young operates the ‘Olive Young Global Mall,’ a direct overseas purchase platform selling K-Beauty products to customers in over 150 countries.
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