When foreign travelers touch down in Seoul these days, many still make the well-trodden pilgrimages to Daiso, Korea’s largest discount store chain, and CJ Olive Young, the country’s No. 1 beauty store.
Increasingly, though, another stop is joining the itinerary: eyewear shops.
Korea’s eyewear shops have become a surprise hit among international tourists, offering rapid production, transparent pricing and sleek designs that have begun to position Korean glasses, or “K-glasses,” as the next niche after beauty and medical tourism, according to market analysts.
According to Creatrip Inc., an inbound-tourism platform, the transaction value for optician-shop bookings between June and October jumped 1,608% from the previous five months.
Creatrip only introduced eyewear-shop-related tour products early this year, making the surge all the more striking.
Bookings span a wide geographic mix, from Asia and Europe to North America.
Americans account for nearly 49% of all reservations, followed by Taiwanese at 26% and Germans at 9%, according to Creatrip.
SAME-DAY SERVICE
Creatrip said the appeal mirrors the qualities that have helped K-beauty go global: speed, value and strong design.
Korean opticians typically offer same-day service, with eye exams and prescription lenses ready in less than an hour, compared with the several days often required abroad.
Prices, too, are lower than in many visitors’ home markets, allowing travelers to pick up high-quality frames without the premium.
Design has emerged as another differentiator.
For customers, K-glasses are less a medical necessity than a fashion statement.
Shops near major tourist districts have, in turn, become destinations in their own right.
At one eyewear store in Myeongdong, downtown Seoul, 44% of foreign visitors booked services alongside other tourist products, suggesting that eyewear stores are becoming embedded into travel itineraries rather than serving as shopping detours, analysts said.
K-GLASSES: LIKELY NEXT K-BEAUTY EXPORT ITEM
As demand grows, Creatrip plans to expand its partner network of optician shops and upgrade its booking systems.
“Visiting an eyewear shop is becoming more than a shopping trip. It is evolving into a distinctive travel experience for international tourists,” said Lim Hye-min, the company’s chief executive. “By emphasizing Korea’s unique strengths, we aim to help eyewear shops join beauty and medical services as essential stops for overseas visitors, supported by easier reservations and meaningful benefits.”
With tourism flows into Korea recovering and travelers seeking out novel, hyper-local experiences, K-glasses may prove to be the next global export, analysts said.
