Shinsegae Duty Free said Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fliggy, Alibaba Group’s online travel platform, as the Korean retailer moves to capture resurgent Chinese tourist demand fueled by eased visa bureaucracy and a sharp travel rebound.
Launched in 2016, Fliggy provides access to more than 25,000 flight routes, 1.5 million hotel partners and 8,000 tourist attractions worldwide, and counts about 500 million members. Alibaba’s 88VIP program has roughly 56 million members, viewed as high-spending and highly loyal users.
Under the deal, Shinsegae will offer tiered membership perks and exclusive shopping benefits to users of Fliggy and Alibaba’s 88VIP paid loyalty program. The retailer added that the partnership could extend to other Alibaba platforms such as Taobao and Alipay.
The company will also push personalized mobile notifications throughout the journey — before departure, during travelers' stay in Korea and after returning home — making it easier for Fliggy travelers to check and use duty-free benefits.
Visitor numbers from China show a sharp rebound. Arrivals plunged to 546,000 in the first half of 2023 from 2.802 million in 2019, but jumped to 2.219 million in 2024 and 2.527 million this year, industry data show.
China remains Korea’s largest inbound market, accounting for roughly one-third of total, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Seoul further accelerated the recovery by allowing temporary visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists earlier this year.
Shinsegae said it will leverage this rebound and integrate more deeply with Alibaba’s digital network to strengthen its competitive edge in attracting Chinese shoppers.
“The partnership connects travel, technology and retail to give visitors to Korea easier access to duty-free benefits throughout their trip,” a Shinsegae official said. “We plan to deepen our integration with Fliggy and Alibaba’s digital ecosystem to offer a more differentiated duty-free shopping experience.”
andreahaneu@heraldcorp.com
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