This year has managed to meet expectations once again, as Chanel’s boutique pop-up store in Jeju has been inundated with reservations every day until the end of October. Although the Chanel boom may not be as fervent as before, many consumers are purchasing flights to Jeju with the hope of finding new and limited-edition goods there.

The Italian luxury brand BVLGARI has also opened a pop-up café in Jeju, which has been met with significant popularity. As it is the first BVLGARI café to open in Korea, it was a hot topic even before its opening. This begs the question: Why are global luxury brands flocking to Jeju to open their first pop-up stores in Korea?

According to industry information, Chanel will operate the boutique pop-up store “Chanel in Jeju” at Shilla Hotel Jeju until January 25 next year. This will be the brand’s second time operating the store, following last year.

In March last year, Chanel showcased its first pop-up store outside of Seoul in Jeju. As celebrities and tourists alike amassed at the venue, countless customers could be seen storing their luggage at their hotel, even before checking in, then running to the store as soon as they could.

This year’s Chanel boutique pop-up store is also expected to be busy. According to its website, which allows advance reservations until the 31st of next month, all timeslots for every single day have been sold out.

However, it is possible to reserve a place on site due to the possibility of “no show” customers. On-site registrations are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

While Jeju is already bustling with tourists, brands other than Chanel are also operating their own pop-up stores. BVLGARI has been running its pop-up café in the lobby lounge of Parnas Hotel Jeju from July 22.

As it is BVLGARI’s first café in Korea and set to open in a vast five-star hotel in Jeju, it has been garnering a fervent response since before its opening.

The café’s interior has been directly designed by BVLGARI Korea and aptly reflects the concept behind the brand’s “Sunset in Eden” resort collection. Furthermore, BVLGARI commented that it placed significant focus on landscaping, since the café is located in the lobby lounge, the very face of the hotel.

A popular menu item at the café is the afternoon tea set, including a two-tiered cake bearing the design of the B.Zero1 diamond ring, one of BVLGARI’s most popular collections, and the Love with BB cake, inspired by the motif of the BVLGARI Resort Collection’s pendant necklace.

One of the main reasons why high-end designer brands are opening temporary pop-up stores and cafes in Jeju is to present customers with a unique experience.

Chanel has already opened and operated pop-up boutiques in world-renowned holiday destinations such as Saint Tropez and Capri. While choosing department stores or bustling downtown areas would have been more prudent for maximizing sales, Chanel instead chose to focus more on providing Korean consumers with a unique shopping experience by opening a pop-up store in Jeju, Korea’s premier holiday destination.

BVLGARI has determined Jeju as the ideal location in line with the concept of the Resort Collection that it unveiled this summer. A key consideration was the fact that there is no official BVLGARI store in Jeju, other than an airport duty-free store. As such, the brand has allowed Jeju residents as well as tourists to experience its products.

Naturally, it is a shrewd tactic for luxury brands to choose a high-end hotel as the location of the store in Jeju. Not only does it align with their prestigious image, hotels generally entail a floating population. In addition, guests at such high-end hotels often exhibit a higher purchasing power.

On the part of the hotel, a pop-up store for a luxury brand presents a win-win opportunity to profit.

An employee of Parnas Hotel Jeju commented, “We created a synergic effect in providing hotel guests with a unique experience while attracting customers targeted by a luxury brand,” and added, “We aim to utilize the hotel’s lobby lounge as a special area for experiences that can only be found at Parnas Hotel Jeju.”