文丨史若妙境
Editor丨 Wonderland
In recent years, with the booming global tourism industry, more and more people have begun to go abroad and explore exotic places.
And in the midst of this craze, an interesting phenomenon has attracted a lot of attention: the influx of South Korean tourists into China.
The number of South Koreans in Zhangjiajie has skyrocketed
According to statistics, January 2024. The number of South Korean tourists visiting China exceeded 140,000 in a single month, a year-on-year increase of 908%, an increase of nearly 10 times.
So, what is it that makes Koreans so keen to travel to China?
First of all, China's long history and splendid culture are a major attraction for Korean tourists.
As one of the four ancient civilizations in the world, China has countless places of interest and intangible cultural heritage.
From the Great Wall to the Terracotta Warriors, from the Forbidden City to the Shaolin Temple, every place condenses a profound cultural heritage, highlighting the grandeur and breadth of Chinese civilization.
For Korean tourists, exploring these ancient ruins and feeling the charm of Chinese culture is undoubtedly a rare experience.
Among them, Zhangjiajie is the "favorite" of many Korean tourists.
This peculiar and beautiful natural wonder, with its majestic momentum of "covering three thousand miles and showing Kyushu", has made countless tourists fall in love with it.
In recent years, the number of Korean tourists visiting Zhangjiajie has gradually changed from an elderly silver-haired group to a mainstream family outing, and the number of tourists has skyrocketed.
In the description of Chinese netizens, "When I travel to Zhangjiajie, I can almost see Korean tourists wearing heavy makeup. "
It can be seen that the unique charm of Zhangjiajie has deeply captured the hearts of Koreans.
In fact, Zhangjiajie has long been more than just a simple tourist destination in the minds of the Korean people.
It is also a necessary choice to experience filial piety and enjoy a family life.
In South Korea, there is even a saying that "if you are filial to your parents, you will take them to Zhangjiajie for a trip".
This shows how lofty Zhangjiajie's status is in the eyes of Koreans.
Behind this phenomenon, there is not only the unique charm of Zhangjiajie Scenic Area itself, but also the inherent life pressure and cultural factors of Korean society.
Zhangjiajie is known for its rare quartz sandstone peak forest landform, with peaks and peaks, cliffs, and canyons. It constitutes a magnificent and beautiful three-dimensional picture.
In particular, taking the Bailong Sky Ladder, visitors can go straight to the top of the mountain in just 1 minute and 58 seconds and enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of the entire scenic area.
It can be called a veritable "thrilling and exciting, straight into the sky".
On the other hand, South Koreans are generally busy with work, life is stressful, and family relationships are becoming increasingly estranged.
And Zhangjiajie just provides an excellent place for parent-child interaction.
Let parents and children get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and regain the joy of family life in the embrace of nature.
After traveling in Zhangjiajie, many Korean tourists can't help but feel that they not only enjoy the beauty here, but also harvest the warmth of family affection.
In addition, the continuous rise of Zhangjiajie's popularity in South Korea is also inseparable from the precision marketing and promotion of the local tourism department.
In recent years, the management department of Zhangjiajie Scenic Area has launched a series of personalized tourism products and preferential policies for the Korean market.
For example, customizing Korean tour guides, opening a Korean official website, and placing advertisements in mainstream Korean media.
All of them have greatly enhanced Zhangjiajie's recognition and reputation among the Korean people.
At the same time, the Korean entertainment industry has also provided strong cultural support for the popularity of Zhangjiajie.
In 2019 alone, there were many Korean dramas such as "Memories of the Alhambra" and "Crash Landing on Love", etc., which were filmed in Zhangjiajie.
Let the beautiful scenery of Zhangjiajie spread to thousands of households with the help of the super popularity of Korean dramas.
For a time, the word "Zhangjiajie" has almost become a high-frequency word for the Korean people.
Countless fans flock to Zhangjiajie to find romantic scenes in Korean dramas.
Of course, the popularity of tourism in Zhangjiajie has also objectively led to the deepening of personnel exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between China and South Korea.
More and more Korean companies have begun to pay attention to Zhangjiajie and set their sights on the rich tourism resources and broad consumer market in the local area.
A number of Korean-funded hotels, catering, retail, entertainment and other projects have landed in Zhangjiajie, injecting new vitality into the local economic development.
The hospitality and high-quality service of the people of Zhangjiajie also make Korean tourists linger. They have become the spokespersons and disseminators of Zhangjiajie's image.
In general, the blowout of Korean tourists in Zhangjiajie is the epitome of the successful friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and South Korea in the fields of tourism and people-to-people relations.
Development of tourism
Against the backdrop of the era of economic globalization, the willingness to strengthen exchanges and close interaction between the two sides will become stronger and stronger.
As the leader of the tertiary industry, tourism will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in it.
We will make greater contributions to building a China-South Korea community with a shared future and promoting regional integration in Asia.
Secondly, the allure of Chinese food is also an important factor in attracting Korean tourists.
As we all know, China is a big country of cuisine, and each region has its own flavors.
From the spicy and fresh aroma of Sichuan cuisine to the exquisite variety of Cantonese cuisine, from the rich and mellow of Shandong cuisine to the light and elegant Huaiyang cuisine, it can be described as a hundred flowers blooming and dizzying.
For Koreans who love food, tasting authentic Chinese delicacies is undoubtedly an irresistible enjoyment.
In fact, despite South Korea's reputation for kimchi, the price of these traditional ingredients has long been unattainable for the local people.
It is reported that the price of Chinese cabbage in South Korea has even soared to 10,000 won, about 62 yuan, which is staggering.
In contrast, the high quality and low price of Chinese ingredients are more attractive to Korean tourists.
Not only do they feast at China's restaurants, but there are also many "savvy" tourists who specialize in packing all kinds of ingredients to take back home. From tofu and zucchini to garlic and onions, no exceptions.
After all, the price of these ingredients in South Korea is often several times that of China.
What's more, some Korean tourists have simply become "fallen masters", specializing in traveling back and forth between China and South Korea.
Chinese rice is bought in large bags and shipped back to China for resale.
The air ticket costs 500 yuan, but as long as you bring back 100 catties of rice, you can easily earn thousands of yuan.
This is undoubtedly a considerable amount of "extra money" for ordinary South Koreans.
So, why is the price of goods in South Korea so high that its own people have to go abroad to "pan for gold"?
The reason for this is that South Korea's own geographical conditions cannot be ignored.
As a peninsular country in northeastern Asia, South Korea has a cold climate, arable land is scarce, and the food self-sufficiency rate has hovered around 20% for a long time.
In addition, the local chaebols monopolized agriculture, and the government imposed heavy taxes on imported grain.
The combination of various factors eventually led to today's situation of high food prices and poor livelihood in South Korea.
Having said that, China's cultural landscape and natural scenery are also important reasons why Korean tourists flock to it.
Compared with South Korea's limited tourism resources, China's scenic spots and beautiful mountains and rivers are innumerable.
Take the Forbidden City as an example, the essence of ancient Chinese imperial palace architecture, covering an area of 720,000 square meters, several times the size of Gyeongbokgung Palace in South Korea.
The natural wonders such as Jiuzhaigou, Huangshan Mountain, and Zhangjiajie are even more beautiful, which is an eye-opener for Korean tourists.
As one Korean tourist lamented, "Coming to China is like seeing the sea for the first time as a frog at the bottom of a well, and nothing can compare to the magnificence and vastness of this place." "
Cause analysis
In addition to objective factors, changes within South Korean society in recent years have also promoted this tourism boom to China to a certain extent.
Facing people's livelihood difficulties such as high housing prices and severe employment situation in China.
More and more young Koreans are choosing to travel abroad to relieve the stress of life and work.
And China, which is geographically close, culturally similar, and relatively inexpensive, has naturally become their first choice.
Of course, behind this boom in tourism to China, there are also some issues worth reflecting on.
Some Korean tourists in China have uncivilized behaviors, such as loud noises, littering, spitting, etc.
It will inevitably cause trouble to the local residents, and it is also in stark contrast to the overall quality of the Korean people.
Some South Korean tourists ignore the protection of cultural relics and climb and touch them when visiting China's scenic spots.
Even leaving graffiti is undoubtedly a desecration of Chinese culture.
Therefore, how to strengthen the publicity and guidance of civilized tourism and improve the quality of tourists.
The sustained and healthy development of this tourism boom still needs to be jointly developed by the government and all sectors of society.
The so-called "reading 10,000 books is better than traveling 10,000 miles", through tourism, you can increase your knowledge, broaden your horizons, and promote exchanges and mutual learning between different countries and nations.
The visit of Korean tourists to China is a vivid portrayal of this cultural integration and people-to-people bond.
Through their eyes, we re-examine our home.
Those beautiful delicacies that might be considered ordinary have such a unique charm that overseas tourists yearn for so much.
On the contrary, Chinese tourists can enter South Korea to appreciate their customs and traditional customs, and can also gain a different kind of spiritual experience and cultural insight.
In fact, in the context of economic globalization, tourism has long become an important link to connect the world and communicate hearts.
On the one hand, the rapid development of tourism has injected strong impetus into the economies of various countries.
A large number of jobs have been created and related industries have been upgraded.
On the other hand, the frequent development of tourism activities has also greatly deepened the understanding and friendship between the people of different countries.
It has eliminated cultural barriers and psychological misunderstandings, and enhanced people-to-people ties and a consensus on a common destiny.
It can be said that tourism is not only a way of leisure and entertainment, but also an important path to promote world peace and development and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
At present, in the post-epidemic era, the global tourism industry is recovering rapidly, and people's yearning for a better life and longing for poetry and distant places have become more and more intense.
Against this backdrop, China and South Korea should seize the opportunity to deepen tourism cooperation.
Innovate tourism products and improve tourism services, so that more tourists can enjoy the happiness of the journey conveniently and comfortably, and appreciate the unique charm of each other's countries.
At the same time, we should also be more open and inclusive, and welcome tourists from all over the world to visit China.
Enhance friendship and expand consensus through exchanges and mutual learning, make the world more lively and interesting, and make mankind's tomorrow more beautiful and full of hope.
Information sources:
Seventy percent of foreign tourists in Zhangjiajie are Koreans, why is the "Korean style" so hot?
Koreans come to China for tourism and are surprised to see drinks during meals: China is worthy of being a big country!