7 travel packages that leverage Korean pop culture to attract overseas travelers

Poster for the popular 2019-20 Korean drama series “Crash Landing on You” starring Hyun Bin (left) and Son Ye Jin. [TVN]

To attract tourists to South Korea from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced on Sunday that it has collaborated with the Korea Tourism Organization to develop seven travel packages focused on visiting popular drama filming locations and experiencing South Korea. did. Pop and K food.

According to a survey of foreign tourists visiting South Korea conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization in the fourth quarter of 2023, the top reasons foreigners were interested in visiting South Korea were Korean TV dramas, K-POP, Korean language, etc. After being exposed to Korean cultural content, the Ministry of Culture stated that despite the usefulness of “Korean wave'' content in attracting foreign tourists, intellectual property (IP) issues have caused travel agencies to ​​He said he could not take full advantage of it.

A ministry official said, “Travel agencies cannot use the names of celebrities or popular TV series to promote travel packages unless they properly pay IP royalties. It tends to be difficult to visit.” Develop filming locations on your own without the help of a travel agent. ”

The Ministry of Culture said it has decided to intervene and encourage K-content production companies to cooperate more actively and enter into necessary agreements with travel companies. The ministry added that it will also support the initial costs for travel companies to use the IP to promote their travel packages.

The seven selected travel packages include a day trip to Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, one of the filming locations for the popular series “Crash Landing on You,” before heading to Incheon to tour historic sites and eat Korean chicken. Finish with dinner at a restaurant.

A luxurious villa in Gangwon-do where BTS filmed the reality series “In The Soop.” [JOONGANG ILBO]

BTS shoots music video in Gangwon-do [BIGHIT MUSIC]

Another 2-night, 3-day tour is for BTS fans. Participants will experience the luxurious forest grounds of Phoenix Pyeongchang Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, where BTS filmed their reality show “In The Soop.” This tour package also includes visits to various locations in Gangwon-do and Busan where BTS filmed their music videos.

Park Jung-taek, director of the Tourism Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, said, “This project is a pilot project designed to reflect the needs of travel agencies.'' “We hope that the active cooperation of K content production companies will be useful in developing travel packages for foreign tourists to South Korea.”

Written by Im Seung-hye [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]