Dramas, K-pop and Instagram drive changing travel trends for tourists in Korea

Tourists today obtain information from social media and travel according to their interests and tastes. Anzai said she enjoyed going to snazzy cafes and eating food that is popular among the locals, thanks to her daughter’s Instagram research.

Foreign tourists read books while relaxing in colorful beanbags during the Seoul Outdoor Library event in front of City Hall in central Seoul on Sept. 22. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Tsumugi Anzai, a 55-year-old from Japan, vacationed in Seoul last July with her 24-year-old daughter. Her third time in the city, Anzai’s favorite memory this time was surprisingly humble: receiving a complimentary photo card of K-drama star Byeon Woo-seok after getting ice cream at Baskin Robbins.

“I was such a huge fan of [the tvN drama series] ‘Lovely Runner,’” she told the Korea JoongAng Daily. Byeon, who stars as the male protagonist Ryu Sun-jae, is the promotional ambassador for the frozen dessert franchise. “I didn’t even know they were having the event, so it was a mind-blowing present for me. I’m glad I was able to experience this here in Korea, as I can rarely encounter such events in Japan.”

Foreign tourists enjoy a day in the mud at the 27th Boryeong Mud Festival in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, on July 20. [NEWS1]

Why was getting a photo card of her favorite actor such a big deal to Anzai?

When she last visited in the 2000s, it was hard to imagine having a similar experience. Tourists usually came uniformly in groups led by travel agencies, which would basically involve just “riding a tourist bus, getting off to take photos, driving around some more again and taking more pictures,” Anzai said.

But now, the trends have shifted. Tourists today obtain information from social media and travel according to their interests and tastes. Anzai said she enjoyed going to snazzy cafes and eating food that is popular among the locals, thanks to her daughter’s Instagram research before arriving.

A foreign tourist participates in a traditional coming-of-age ceremony during the 2024 Hanbok Culture Week at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Oct. 14. [NEWS1]

Once limited to just eating kimchi and bibimbap, watching the nonverbal percussion show “Nanta” or shopping at the flea markets in Dongdaemun, travel itineraries for trips to Korea these days have become much more diverse, personal and experience-oriented. Over the past decade, Korea has grown to be a cultural juggernaut. Its cinema, drama, music and food have sparked the interest of people from around the world.

Realizing Korea’s growing potential as a tourist destination, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced an ambitious goal in 2022 to attract 30 million annual visitors and generate $30 billion in annual tourism revenue by 2027.

It won’t be easily attainable, considering the glacial speed at which the country is recovering from the pandemic. Korea has still yet to meet its tourist numbers prior to the pandemic, which were 17.5 million in 2019. The country saw a mere 10.67 million tourists from January to August this year.

In the first half of this year, the country also logged its biggest travel balance deficit in six years — at $6.48 billion — meaning that outbound Korean travelers’ spending far outpaced the spending of inbound foreign tourists.

Data from the Korea Tourism Organization also shows that the percentage of foreign tourists who came to Korea to shop continues to drop, from 92.5 percent in 2019 to 78.3 percent in 2023, demonstrating that shopping is no longer the prime purpose for visiting.

So what is it exactly that they’re coming here for?

Foreign tourists take the gwageo, or state examinations, to become government officials during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), at the 26th UN Peace Festival in Busan on Oct. 20. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The Korea JoongAng Daily hit the streets last week and asked several tourists of various nationalities for the reason behind their visits. The answers were diverse. No longer were the tourists exclusively visiting the four palaces in central Seoul or the Hongdae area. They were all over the city, from Itaewon and Seongsu to Dongdaemun and Jamsil.

“No matter how many times you visit, there’s always something new to see here,” said 24-year-old Yui Anzai from Japan, Tsumugi's daughter, suggesting that Korea is no longer simply known for Psy’s “Gangnam Style” or BTS.

But it’s impossible to get past the impact of Korean content, especially K-pop and dramas. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute for the fourth quarter of 2023, the No. 1 reason foreign tourists were visiting Korea was K-content, taking up 31.9 percent among the 4,000 respondents.

Claudia Vidal, a 27-year-old from Chile, takes a picture of her Stray Kids-themed Skzoo doll in front of the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul ahead of the boy band's concert in late August. [CLAUDIA VIDAL]

Claudia Vidal, a 27-year-old from Chile, wasn’t expecting anything like a severe heat wave on her first time visiting Seoul in August, but it didn’t stop her trip. She succeeded in getting seats to a Stray Kids concert, which is a tough and highly competitive feat — especially when vying against other passionate STAYs (the name of the boy band’s fandom) for tickets.

She also attended the 2024 K-World Dream Awards, which featured acts like NCT 127, aespa, Tomorrow X Together, ITZY and ILLIT — an experience she would have been unable to have back home.

She stayed for a full month, jam-packed with things she wanted to try out to “experience the daily life of Koreans,” she said. She traveled not only in Seoul but also to Suwon in Gyeonggi and Busan, visiting palaces, temples, museums and even a botanical garden, due to her profession being linked to biodiversity.

Other experience-worthy destinations for K-pop fans are film sets, like the forest property in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, where BTS filmed its reality show “In the SOOP” (2021). A full-day tour of the show's location, led by Hanatour ITC, currently sits at No. 6 on this year’s Traveler's Choice Awards' Best of the Best Things to Do list in Asia's Top Experiences category.

"As K-content is gaining immense attention from all over the world, the purpose of vacationing to Korea is increasingly branching out beyond simply shopping," said Lee So-hui, the chief manager for Hanatour ITC’s public relations. She cited that the tour of Korea’s demilitarized zone, or the DMZ, is a steady seller.

Foreign tourists walk past buses for the DMZ Tour at the demilitarized zone in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 16. [NEWS1]

Some others sought peace and quiet in Seoul’s traditional spots or mountainsides. They were also interested in visiting countryside regions outside of the capital city.

The Demuyters, a family of three from France, who were visiting for three weeks to see their 23-year-old daughter Garance who is studying in Korea, said they were planning to visit Jeju, Jeonju in North Jeolla, Mount Seorak in Gangwon and Andong in North Gyeongsang.

In Seoul, they’ve already toured Changdeok Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village, which has a cluster of traditional Korean houses, or hanok.

“We chose these places because we are old,” said Sylvain Demuyter, the 54-year-old dad, with a laugh. “Young people prefer shopping, K-pop and cafes. But we also always liked to sightsee in France. Us older people prefer quiet activities.”

One thing that was universal, regardless of age, was the makeup and cosmetics category, especially for female tourists. Sylvain’s wife, 61-year-old Stephanie, wasn’t hesitant when she said that K-beauty was at the top of her shopping plans.

Foreign tourists take pictures of the inside of Changdeok Palace's Huijeongdang Hall in central Seoul on Oct. 1. [NEWS1]

The Demaisons, another French couple, were visiting “to see the town and nature with beautiful forests and the color of autumn.”

Statistics conducted by local cosmetics retailer Olive Young show that in the first half of this year, seven out of 10 foreign tourists visited its stores at least once. To ride on that wave, it is operating a free shuttle bus service three times a day for foreigners from Incheon International Airport to the tourist-friendly shopping neighborhood of Myeong-dong in central Seoul.

Despite these conveniences, tourists mentioned some other practicality issues, such as that it was difficult to get reservations or sign up to certain apps because they didn't have a registered Korean mobile number, which is the main source of identity verification in the country. The lack of sufficient garbage cans on the streets was also pointed out as a flaw.

Foreign tourists take a stroll at Mount Namsan in central Seoul on Oct. 28. [YONHAP]

Three friends from Spain in their 20s were visiting Korea for the first time, staying in the country for a three-week trip. They were in the fashion mecca neighborhood of Seongsu-dong in eastern Seoul when they met with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“We are not the typical tourists,” the friends, Maria Bach Berruezo, Maria Olmo Garrapucho and Yanet Diaz Hernandez, said.

Before the Korea JoongAng Daily asked them the reason why, they gave a grandiose list of things they did, from trying out dakgalbi (stir-fried chicken with pepper marinade) and spending four days in Busan to having a picnic near the Han River and talking about football with taxi drivers.

Their eyes gleamed with joy when they mentioned the reason they were in Seongsu-dong, which is also where the K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment’s flagship store Kwangya@Seoul is: “Because SM is here!”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE, KIM JI-YE [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]