China’s top insurer Ping An Insurance is sending 3,700 employees to Korea for an incentive trip, raising hopes for a full-fledged removal of group tour ban from China.

According to duty-free industry sources on Tuesday, Ping An Insurance employees will be arriving in groups of 50 over the next two months. Their stops include duty-free shops of Korea’s major travel retails like Shinsegae and Shilla.

Lotte Duty Free, Korea’s largest travel retailer, was excluded in their itinerary. Lotte suffered the most from state-led retaliation after it yielded its land to host a U.S. antimissile system that Beijing vehemently opposed.

The group from Ping An Insurance is the largest from China since Beijing banned Chinese travel agencies from selling tour packages to Korea in March 2017. Beijing lifted the ban in some cities recently. In October last year, 600 employees from Chinese cosmetics brand Anya Cosmetics came to Korea on a corporate incentive tour. The state still prohibits cruise tours and charter flights to Korea.

By Shin Ik-su and Cho Jeehyun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]