Foreign tourists dressed in traditional Korean clothing, “hanbok,” stroll through Seoul on June 13. Yonhap News Agency
Measures needed to make the Korean wave tourism boom sustainable
South Korea relies heavily on the “Korean Wave,” thanks to the global craze for K-pop and Korean TV dramas that has enabled the country to rapidly emerge as a popular tourist destination.
It’s hard to overstate how global superstar groups like BTS and BLACKPINK have helped spark a boom in tourism in South Korea. Without even realizing it, the globally popular K-Pop bands have become self-proclaimed ambassadors for South Korea’s tourism industry.
The resilience of the tourism sector is a boon for the economy. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s 2024 survey, South Korea’s tourism sector accounts for 4.3% of the country’s economy. However, this figure is relatively low compared to European countries. According to Statista, travel and tourism’s contribution to GDP is 9.5% in the UK and 8.8% in Germany, more than double South Korea’s 4.3%. There is still a lot of work to be done for South Korea to match these tourist-heavy European countries in attracting more inbound tourists.
The growth of South Korea’s budding tourism industry, driven by the global fanbase of the Korean Wave, is providing food for thought for policymakers who must think deeply about the impact it may have on the nation as they develop strategies and action plans to take the tourism industry to the next level.
Being part of a fandom is a collective action driven by love. Collective action is a double-edged sword. Like the global fandom of the Korean Wave, collective action can generate many loyal followers who love Korean culture and are passionate about exploring it.
But at the same time, collective action can also be a cause for concern when it takes the form of a boycott, where people join together to demand that other individuals or companies change their ways.
Collective action like a boycott, if not handled properly, can at worst cause the downfall of a company or individual. Collective action can be both a blessing and a curse.
The recent social media-based boycott of Korea movement supported by some Thai tourists represents a worrying development in collective action, which is unfortunate given that Thailand is one of the countries in Asia where the Korean Wave is strongest.
The campaign was reportedly started by Thai tourists unhappy with being denied entry to South Korea. They accuse South Korean immigration officials of being too strict in determining whether or not to allow tourists into the country, and urge Thais to consider other countries such as China and Vietnam as tourist destinations.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the number of Thai tourists in January-April this year fell 21 percent compared to the same period last year, making Thailand the third most visited country among Southeast Asian countries. Last year, about 380,000 Thai people visited South Korea, making it the second most visited country in the region. The sharp drop in Thai tourists contrasts with the overall surge in tourists to South Korea. According to the KTO, 4.86 million tourists visited South Korea in January-April, up 87 percent from the previous year.
Immigration officers are responsible for screening and preventing the entry of criminals, potential illegal immigrants, and potential terrorists masquerading as tourists. This is their job. Immigration officers have the power to decide whether or not to allow a particular tourist into the country, and they are trusted to do their job well. It is therefore unfair to blame the backlash against tourism in Thailand on hard-working immigration officers.
But policymakers need to take appropriate steps to respond to disgruntled Thais and explain what happened and why.
There is also a need to develop detailed strategies to maintain a resilient tourism sector, so that the Korean Wave-led tourism boom does not end up being a passing phenomenon.
Last week, the government announced a series of measures to attract more tourists to Korea, including simplifying immigration procedures, increasing the number of visa issuing and processing officers, and extending the length of stay for tourists on tourist visas. In addition to these measures, the government should also pay more attention to making the Korean wave sustainable and effectively dealing with backlash, such as the anti-Korean protests in Thailand. Otherwise, the Korean wave it has worked so hard to create may not last.
