Foreign tourists returning for CJ Olive Young sale jump 11-fold in 3 years

The number of foreign tourists making repeat visits to the Olive Young Sale has jumped 11-fold over the past three years.

CJ Olive Young said Monday that a joint analysis of foreign customer data with Global Tax Free — South Korea's top tax-refund service provider — found that the number of foreign visitors who attended the Olive Young Sale in both March and June this year jumped 11-fold compared with three years ago.

The surge in repeat foreign customers has been steady. The number of foreign tourists returning to South Korea at least twice a year to coincide with the sale has doubled on average each year since 2023. More than 6,200 foreign tourists visited South Korea three or more times during sale periods last year to take part in the event.

The driving force behind the trend is the sale's unrivaled scale and distinctive shopping experience. Held four times a year — in March, June, September and December — the Olive Young Sale draws more than 1,500 beauty brands. Curated K-beauty selections, shopping convenience and the trust customers develop in products after using them back home have all fueled repeat visits.

The trend has also helped boost spending outside the Greater Seoul area, aligning with the "K-dailycation" trend of tourists immersing themselves in everyday Korean life. Foreign customer sales at stores outside the metropolitan area jumped 72 percent year on year during the June sale period, outpacing the national average of 45 percent. Visits to the Olive Young Global Mall also surged more than 180 percent year on year over the same period.

Olive Young said it will strengthen its K-beauty curation for foreign customers. A company official said Olive Young would "continue to leverage our differentiated capabilities to improve satisfaction among foreign tourists and expand the touchpoints where K-beauty brands can connect with global customers."