The South Korean government has announced plans to introduce a visa-free policy for Chinese group tourists in Q3 this year. According to the Bank of Korea, an increase of one million Chinese group tourists could raise South Korea’s GDP growth rate by 0.08 percentage points. Data from Trip.com shows that in 2024, Chinese travel bookings to South Korea nearly doubled YoY. The visa-free policy is expected to attract more tourists from second- and third-tier cities, boosting South Korea’s retail and duty-free sectors.