Starting in July 2025, visa-free entry for Chinese tourists will be expanded nationwide in South Korea. As a result, Jeju Island, which had previously enjoyed the exclusive advantage of visa-free entry, now faces the need for new differentiation strategies. In this context, digital marketing utilizing Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle platform, is being used as a means to broaden contact points with Chinese tourists.
In response to these changes, the Korea YouTube Creator Education Center (Director Han Jusung) is conducting marketing programs using Xiaohongshu for small business owners in the Jeju region, and reports that this approach has already led to real success stories in the field.
The Jeju Traveler Center, which opened in November 2025, established an official Xiaohongshu business channel with support from the Korea YouTube Creator Education Center, and is operating it as a real-time communication platform with Chinese tourists. By sharing information about events on Chilseong-ro shopping street and providing tourism-related guidance, as well as responding to inquiries, the channel has seen a steady increase in questions from Chinese tourists and actual visits. In addition, a 5,000 won discount coupon promotion is being offered to customers who visit through the Xiaohongshu channel.
Additionally, the case of a small goods shop operating in the Chilseong-ro underground shopping mall in Jeju has been made public. The store ran both Xiaohongshu feed ads and search ads, and was exposed through keyword searches such as "Jeju souvenirs" and "Jeju shopping," resulting in many Chinese tourists visiting the shop after seeing it on Xiaohongshu. As a result, sales more than doubled after the advertising campaign.
The shop owner stated, "At first, I was skeptical about advertising on a Chinese platform, but the number of Chinese customers who said they came after seeing us on Xiaohongshu increased noticeably day by day, leading to a significant rise in sales. I am especially grateful that our store is now being spread by word of mouth as a 'must-visit spot in Jeju' among young Chinese female tourists."
The Center also explained that it is running Xiaohongshu marketing campaigns for a number of businesses in Jeju, including restaurants and shops. The support covers the entire process from A to Z, enabling small business owners unfamiliar with Chinese to easily open and operate Xiaohongshu business channels, running feed and search ads through the Juiguang advertising platform, and organizing experience groups tailored to budget size.
The Korea YouTube Creator Education Center plans to continue actively supporting Xiaohongshu marketing for small businesses in Jeju, striving to ensure that even more companies can benefit from the Chinese tourist market.
Director Han Jusung stated, "Xiaohongshu is not just a simple social network, but a powerful platform that directly influences the purchasing decisions of Chinese consumers. We will do our utmost to introduce the heartfelt services and products of our small business owners to Chinese tourists visiting Jeju."
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