Korea Grand Sale Returns Earlier With Flights, Beauty Perks And Palace Access To Woo Women Travellers

Published on December 18, 2025

The 2026 Korea Grand Sale is starting earlier than ever and, therefore, Seoul, South Korea, is welcoming global tourists for the early winter season as the low season has turned into an irresistible reason to travel. The event, which is the country’s main shopping tourism, is planned to combine shopping with culture and immersive experiences, thus making it a particularly attractive lure for female tourists who are after value, wellness, beauty, and genuine local encounters.

Running through 22 February 2026, the Korea Grand Sale is led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in partnership with the Visit Korea Committee. Since its launch in 2011, the event has grown into a nationwide collaboration spanning travel, hospitality, retail, beauty, transport and dining, all carefully curated to convert browsing tourists into repeat visitors.

A nationwide sale designed to move travellers

At the top of the offering are deeply discounted airfares, with ten Korean carriers including Korean Air, rolling out international flight discounts of up to 96 per cent. For many travellers, particularly solo women and small groups planning winter escapes, airfare savings remove the biggest barrier to booking a trip.

Accommodation partners are leaning into experience-led travel rather than simple discounts. Luxury and mid-range hotels alike are bundling cultural access, wellness activities and beauty incentives into stay packages that appeal to travellers who want more than just a room.

Hotels and beauty perks that speak to women travellers

Hotels are using the sale to turn overnight stays into story-worthy experiences. Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul is offering guests complimentary access to its ice rink alongside free admission passes to historic palaces, a combination of leisure and heritage that resonates strongly with culture-focused visitors.

Meanwhile, Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Namdaemun has partnered with Korea’s beauty retail giant Olive Young, providing gift cards through its Discover K-Beauty package. These incentives tap directly into the global fascination with Korean skincare and cosmetics, a key motivator for women choosing Korea as a travel destination.

According to organisers, brands popular with international shoppers were intentionally prioritised, with discounts reaching up to 90 per cent, complemented by commemorative gifts and exclusive promotions available both online and in-store.

Retail, rewards and a warmer welcome in Myeongdong

Across the country, participating department stores, duty-free shops, outlets, supermarkets and convenience stores are offering tiered gifts, coupons, membership upgrades and welcome treats tailored specifically for foreign visitors. The goal is to reduce friction for first-time travellers and encourage longer stays with more diverse spending.

A new focal point of the sale is the Welcome Center at Noon Square in Myeongdong. Located on the mall’s ground floor, the hub provides multilingual guidance on in-mall promotions, hosts photo zones for social media-savvy travellers and runs receipt-based prize draws, blending retail with engagement.

Taking the sale beyond Seoul

To ensure benefits extend beyond the capital, organisers are dispatching branded Play Trucks to major tourist hubs. After launching in Seoul’s Jamsil area, the trucks will appear in cities including Daejeon, Busan and Jeonju through the end of January 2026.

These mobile activations, developed in partnership with local businesses, deliver pop-up events, shopping rewards and regional experiences, an approach intended to spread tourism income more evenly while giving travellers reasons to explore lesser-visited destinations.

Why the Korea Grand Sale matters for inbound tourism

Officials involved in the programme have indicated that the sale is intended to offer richer, more emotionally engaging travel experiences, driven by the global appeal of Korean culture. By combining K-beauty, pop culture, food and heritage with tangible savings, the event positions Korea as a destination that understands modern travellers’ priorities.

For women travellers in particular, the mix of safety, convenience, beauty retail, cultural access and value-driven packages creates a compelling proposition, especially during winter, when many destinations struggle to attract visitors.

While Korea is still vying for a place in the biggest global tourism market, the 2026 Korea Grand Sale won’t be only a shopping event but will be labelled as a good strategic invitation: one that converts discounts into discovery and transactions into travel memories. If you are thinking about a stylish, cultured and comfortable winter travel, then Seoul and the whole of South Korea, is already making its case earlier, louder and warmer than ever before.