Hong Kong media reported that tourists from China are returning to South Korea in droves due to the attraction of Hallyu and Korean dramas, but Korean netizens are asking: Why not are they attracted by kimchi?
According to a June 29 report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Chinese tourists visiting South Korea this year are surging mainly due to the attraction of BTS and the Korean drama "Welcome Back to Sandari."
According to the South China Morning Post, "BTS" and "Welcome Back to Sandari" are both related to Jeju Island, a "tourist destination" in South Korea.
Among them, the role of BTS is that they specifically promote the tourism of Jeju Island, so they attract a large number of Chinese fans to South Korea for vacation.
And "Welcome Back to Sandari" is a drama set in Jeju Island, which mainly tells the daily romantic story of Zhao Eun-hye, a photographer who returns to his hometown, in a local village.
As a result, as of the first four months of this year, the number of tourists visiting Jeju Island in South Korea exceeded the total number of tourists in 2023, and the total number of tourists visiting South Korea in the first four months of this year has increased by 470% compared to the same period last year!
In addition to Jeju Island, according to the tourists interviewed, he was also attracted by the Korean landscape and food.
According to the report, Seoul's "historical sites" are a must-see attraction for Chinese tourists visiting South Korea.
South Korea's cuisine and diverse landscapes, combined with its proximity, have made South Korea once again an "ideal short-distance destination" for Chinese tourists. ”
As soon as the report was released, it attracted the attention of Korean netizens, and under the Korean discussion section of the social news site Reddit, Korean netizens expressed their opinions one after another.
A Korean netizen's speech was quite funny, reminding us that past tourists should "pay attention to politeness", and I don't know if he knows what Korean tourists are like when they are outside.
Another Korean netizen is even more interesting, according to him, although Hallyu and Korean dramas are indeed very attractive to tourists, it is a pity that this report did not include kimchi in the title, because that is the main reason for attracting tourists.
It seems that Korean netizens really love kimchi, and I don't know how many tourists really travel to South Korea to taste kimchi, as he said.
However, there are also more sober Korean netizens, as far as he knows, many tourists say that the reason why they travel to South Korea is because tourists regard it as a "cheap shopping resort".
In fact, whether it is Hallyu, Korean dramas, or kimchi, it is not the main reason for tourists to travel to South Korea.
The tourist attractions in South Korea are all there, which means that the factors that attract tourists have not changed, only the willingness of tourists to go or not, and I hope that they will realize the main reason why tourists did not go to travel before.