Turning to Arirang now, some 150 thousand Chinese tourists made the short trip across the West Sea to Korea earlier this month. And while these tourists have been a boon for retailers here,... experts say Korea will need to do more to keep visitors coming back in the future. Kim Min-ji reports.

[SLUG]
Est. 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Korea earlier this month

Upwards of 150-thousand.

That's the number of Chinese tourists who visited Korea this month during the week-long Spring Holiday Festival - an increase of nearly 20 percent from the year before. It's a time when the country's retail industry gets a big boost.

[REPORTER]
Kim Min-ji
"During the week-long holiday break,... local department stores saw their sales to Chinese visitors soar over fifty percent. So what were the most popular items?"

[Interview]
Qin Liang / Chinese tourist
"I got a bag, cosmetics and local food products like ginseng. I often use Korean products. I think Korean bags and cosmetics are high in quality compared to the price."

Due to the popularity of Hallyu, or the Korean Wave,... products and foods featured in local TV dramas or used by Korean celebrities have become must-have items.

[Interview]
Li Wenqian / Chinese tourist
"I bought some Korean cosmetics -- they are very popular in China... and all my Chinese friends like Korean beauty products. I learned about Korean food while watching Korean dramas and wanted to try it myself. That's why I came here."

[SLUG]
Korea hopes to attract 8m Chinese tourists this year

Korea plans to attract some eight million Chinese tourists this year -- but many say it won't be as easy as before.

While Hallyu has played significant role,... the effects may be short-lived as China is seeking to boost its own content business. On top of that, more and more Chinese tourists are flocking to Japan.

While Korea experienced a slight slump last year,... visitors to Japan have been fast-growing.

[Interview]
Byun Jung-woo / Professor, Kyunghee University
"The yen has lost about a third of its value. Besides that,... Japan's biggest advantage is the fact that it has great tourism infrastructure in every district."

That's in contrast to Korea,... with the majority of Chinese tourists limiting their visits to the capital city and southernmost Island of Jeju,... due to less promotion of other cities.

[Interview]
Woo Seung-taik / Professor, Soongsil University
"Most of Korea's tourism industry is focused on shopping,... but that's not enough to bring people back. Korea also has a bad reputation of charging Chinese tourists more for street food and cab rides."

[SLUG]
‘Korea needs more substantial tourist attractions, products’

Experts say Korea will need to focus on developing more substantial cultural and tourist attractions,... in addition to building tourism infrastructure around the country,... in order to give visitors a wider variety of experiences... and more importantly... incentive to return.

Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.