Tour of Korea in Gangnam Style

GANGNAM--(Korea Newswire)--Q: What do you think are success factors in the Korean Wave?
 
A: It’s because the Government didn’t interfere in it during its initial period as they didn’t know what it was about.
 
However, it’s just a joke I’ve heard from one of my close acquaintances.
 
A big paradigm shift is perceived in the tourist industry in Korea which has been no better than the wasteland in the world tourist market. From the viewpoint of foreign tourists, actually, Korea fell behind in tourist awareness by long odds in comparison with its neighboring countries, such as an economic power, Japan or a richly historied land, China, and it was hard to find its characteristics to speak of. According to Tourism Highlights, 2011 by the UNWTO, it’s predicted that the number of the international tourists around the world marking 900 million as of 2010 will increase up to 1.6 billion by 2020. In addition, the report also forecast that the number of visitors to the Asia-Pacific region will increase more than twice, up to 400 million from 200 million as of the present, becoming the second largest world tour market next to Europe.
Together with the world tourism and favorable factor of the increase in the explosive number of international tourists to the Asia-Pacific region, there is another favorable factor of mammoth size.

With the viewpoint or fixed idea about Korea heavily rocking with the 21st century entering, Korea began to be perceived as a must-see land for at least once by the world tourists. Then, what might be the basic impetus to the change to a must-see land from a country considered to be the one which the foreign tourists didn’t care whether they visited or not? The answer is the very ‘the Korean Wave’(Halryu).

The growth of the Korean Wave aroused the desires to visit Korea. As known to the public, the beginning of Tourism of the Korean Wave represented by Nami Island has provided a variety of attractions, food and stories, such as the public performance, locations for dramas, and experience in Korean food, etc.
 
 In other words, the culture products originating in a drama caused the viewers’ desires to visit the country where the character in a drama lives, and have developed such desires again into a diversity of products, attractions, food and amenities from the standpoint of ‘One Source Multi-Use.’

Nevertheless, according to the 2011 actual condition survey on foreign tourists conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, foreign tourists’ destinations are still concentrated in metropolitan areas (79.9% in Seoul, 23.8% in Gyeonggi-do, overlapped responses).
 
Even in Seoul, the general trend is that most of foreign tourists visit just the district north of the Han River, such as Myeongdong, the Dongdaemun Market, Namdaemun Market, old palaces, and Namsan, etc. It’s estimated that there has been an incessant effort for diversification of tourist attractions, but the concerning authorities fail to break from the partiality to the district north of the Han River in Seoul as yet.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourist Service, Inc. have mapped out several projects for tourist diversification, and it is known that they have proceeded with various efforts to revitalize the so-called hub of luxury items ‘Gangnam District’ as a tourist destination. However, its visible outcome is still some way off.
 
Recently, an interesting cultural phenomenon associated with’ Gangnam’ is attracting worldwide attention beyond Korea. A self-style B class singer, who was enlisted in the army as much as twice and had exceptionally many events and accidents, ‘Psy’ is having his music video titled “Brother’s in Gangnam Style” staying on top of the number of hits for the first time on YouTube by going over 30 million hits. The foreign media such as CNN, and ABC,etc. are asking “What does it mean?” while showing a deep interest in the B-class music video and the people around the world are looking at Gangnam with curiosity. ‘Time’ is describing Gangnam as the place like Beverly Hills of Korea.

This writer thinks that Gangnam could be fully used as a tourist resource according to our response ability to handle the curiosity about and interest in Gangnam like now. There are a variety of famous luxury tourist destinations including the two major entertainment management agencies(SM, JYP), Apgujeong Rodeo Street, Cheongdam Luxury Street, COEX, Shinsadong tree-lined road, and Jamsil Lotte World.

This write is fully convinced that If the fact that Gangnam is a mecca of luxury items and the home of fashion should be appealing to foreign tourists, not a few wavelengths would be brought on to the Korean tourist industry.
An individual singer is doing a thing which the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourist Service, Inc. haven’t failed to do for decades of years, and the singer ‘Psy’ is writing a new history of ‘Gangnam Style’ in Korea tourism.

For reference, Psy(real name, Jae-sang, Park) was named an honorary ambassador for Korea tourism in 2007.
 
Korean Wave Research Institute(KWRI)

Korean Wave, the front runner of Korean culture reaching out to the world. Korean Wave that has the foundation of excellence and mobility of Korean culture has captivated the people on the world to add its power on daily basis has become the representative culture icon of Korea. Korean Wave Research Institute (KWRI) is committed to undertake aggressive effort to expand the power of Korean Wave for entire world by undertaking the research on Korean Wave, survey of influence and analysis of demand, presentation of advancement direction for steady advancement and expansion of power for Korean Wave. KWRI will place its best effort for delivering graceful, friendly and powerful Korean culture and unlimited advancement of Korean Wave through profound understanding and research of Korean Wave. www.haanryu.com

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