Seoul issues multi-language shopping guidebook for tourists

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- Seoul has published multi-language shopping guidebooks
for foreign visitors, introducing more than 100 department stores and souvenir
shops located in the city's main shopping districts, the city government said
Thursday.
The newly-printed 60,000 copies of "Seoul & Shopping," available in English,
Japanese and Chinese, will be distributed for free at information centers, hotels
and shopping centers in the capital city.
"The guidebook was designed for the convenience of foreign tourists who have been
playing a role in boosting the local economy and promoting Seoul as a new
shopping hub," said Seo Young-keun, who is in charge of the city's tourism
promotion.
The 64-page book also features restaurants and accommodations and introduces
Korea's popular beauty clinics and spas as well as beauty tips from popular
Korean female celebrities.
More than 44 percent of foreigners who visited Korea last year came for shopping,
with inbound travelers spending some US$1.06 billion, up 67 percent from a year
earlier, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
A large portion of the money is from Japanese travelers whose spending power
increased due to the weakened local currency.
Seoul has also been seeing a large increase in the number of travelers in recent
years, due in part to the sweeping popularity of Korean pop culture across Asia.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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