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| A GS Retail staffer buys the company's first public transportation card for foreigners at GS25 convenience store in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of GS Retail |
By Kim Jae-heun
GS25, a convenience store chain run by GS Retail, joined hands with LOCA Mobility to introduce a public transportation card for foreign visitors, the company said Sunday.
Based on spending data, the company launched the "Hanbok Chunsik LOCA M" card to provide reasonable benefits to foreign tourists who purchase transportation and SIM cards at local convenience stores.
"Convenience stores have emerged as popular shopping destinations as the number of foreigners visiting Korea increased sharply recently," a GS Retail official said. "GS25 will continue to serve as a representative Korean convenience store that will help improve foreigners' travel experiences during their stay here."
Hanbok Chunsik LOCA M features discount benefits in a strategic partnership with a local travel platform, Creative Trip. Foreigners can get up to 20 percent discounts at 180 stores in the country with e-coupons found in the transportation card package.
"We have embedded QR codes in the package, which foreigners can scan with their mobile phones to use at restaurants and coffee shops like Seoul 88 Beer and Cafe True as well as Shinsegae Duty Free shop and ABC Mart," the official added.
The transportation card is already available at 235 GS25 convenience stores in popular touristic areas in Seoul, such as Myeong-dong, Itaewon, Hongik University and Seoul Station, beginning Friday. The company plans to sell the transportation cards at more stores in the country by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea in the first half of this year reached about 4.45 million, up 447 percent year-on-year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
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