시니어 여행 트렌드 2024
통계자료 및 관련 보고서, 보도 등을 분석하여 2024년 시니어 여행 트렌드를 정리하고 시장 전망을 제시합니다.
K-Culture
Tourism
Trend 2024
South Korea
Hallyu Tourism Statistics and Trend Report 2024
The Next Stage of Tourism in Korea
K-Culture Tourism
Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, has evolved from a mere cultural phenomenon into a significant soft power with global influence for South Korea. In 2024, Hallyu is captivating the hearts of people worldwide more powerfully than ever before. According to Forbes India, there were approximately 178 million Hallyu fans globally in 2022, a 19-fold increase from 9.26 million in 2012. Notably, in Europe, the number of Hallyu fans reached 13.2 million in 2022, a 37% increase in just one year. The number of fan clubs in Europe also grew from 1,464 in 2021 to 1,684 in 2022, highlighting Europe as a significant hub for the spread of Hallyu
Particularly, K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean films are enjoying worldwide popularity, solidifying Korea’s cultural standing. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, one of the major private museums in the United States, recently curated an exhibition titled “Hallyu! The Korean Wave,” showcasing Korea’s innovative contributions to art, film, drama, music, fashion, beauty, and technology.
The global influence of Hallyu has substantial economic effects. In 2023, the total export value driven by Hallyu was recorded at $14.165 million, a 5.1% increase from the previous year (KOFICE, 2024). Notably, tourism exports, boosted by the base effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased by 55% from the previous year, estimated at $2.4 billion.
Although the export value from tourism in the Hallyu market accounts for 17% of the total export value, which is smaller compared to cultural content (53%) and consumer goods (29%), its economic ripple effects are significant. Specifically, tourism induced employment for 47,000 people, higher than consumer goods (45,000 people), and the value-added effect of tourism was analyzed to be 2.6 trillion won, reaching 70% of the total value-added effect of consumer goods (3.8 trillion won).
Considering that the tourism industry involves consumption during visits to Korea, unlike cultural content and consumer goods which are more accessible to foreigners locally, the economic impact of such a scale is noteworthy.
LEMON.LAB aims to contribute to the advancement of Korea’s tourism market by presenting detailed analyses and forecasts of Hallyu tourism demand, along with the key drivers expected to lead the next stage of Korea’s tourism industry.
What is Hallyu Tourism?
Definition of Hallyu and Hallyu Tourism
Hallyu, as defined by the National Institute of the Korean Language, refers to “the phenomenon of Korean popular culture elements becoming trendy abroad.” Hallyu tourists are generally defined as “visitors who favor Korean culture and whose preference for Korean culture influences their decision to travel to Korea” (KTO, 2019).
Hallyu tourism is categorized into narrow and broad definitions based on the range of preferred Korean cultural elements.
| 구분 | 내용 |
|---|---|
| Narrow Definition of Hallyu Tourism | Tourism influenced by a preference for Korean popular music (K-Pop), Korean dramas, Korean variety shows and Korean movies |
| Broad Definition of Hallyu Tourism | Tourism influenced by a preference for the above elements as well as Korean performances (excluding popular music), traditional music, books/publicationsm, animation/characters, cuisine, fashion, beauty products, sports, video games, medical tourism, martial arts and traditional clothing |
In the past, Hallyu consumers primarily focused on visual and audio content such as Korean popular music, dramas, variety shows, and movies. Recently, however, exposure to and consumption of these audio-visual contents have expanded their interest to encompass the broader lifestyle aspects of Korea, including food, fashion, and beauty. This shift has consequently led to an expansion in the scope and scale of the Hallyu tourism market.
This change indicates an increasing opportunity to offer a wider range of travel experiences and tourism content to international tourists from the perspective of the tourism industry.
“Recently, consumers who have experienced K-Culture content such as K-Pop and dramas are shifting their interest to Korean food, fashion, and beauty, leading to an expansion in the scope and scale of the Hallyu tourism market.”
Trends in Hallyu Sub-Sectors
The Crown Jewel of Hallyu: K-POP
K-POP is the most influential sector in shaping the image of Korea. For overseas Hallyu fans, the image most associated with Korea has been dominated by K-POP over the past decade, consistently ranking first (17.2% in 2023) since 2014. Dramas, ranking third (7% in 2023), follow food in their influence on Korea’s image.
K-POP, the crown jewel of Hallyu, is significantly transforming Korean tourism patterns. Previously, Hallyu tourists would shop in Dongdaemun, wear hanboks while strolling around palaces, or enjoy cosmetics shopping and street food in Myeongdong. Recently, however, a variety of new Hallyu tourism programs have emerged, allowing tourists to experience being a K-POP idol. These programs include K-POP dance classes, K-POP recording experiences, and concept photo shoots mimicking idol group aesthetics.
Particularly, family tourists with teenagers interested in K-POP are increasingly participating in these K-POP experience programs, indicating a substantial influence of Hallyu tourism content on travel activity decisions.
Due to the sustained high interest in K-POP, the Korean government has recently announced a pilot plan for a ‘K-Culture Training Visa,’ aimed at foreigners wishing to train in K-POP, dance, modeling, and other related fields.
K-Fashion + K-Beauty + K-Food + ··· = K-Lifestyle
Fashion
Interest in the lifestyle of Koreans, as depicted through K-pop, dramas, and movies, has naturally extended to K-fashion. Musinsa Standard, the in-house brand of the popular online shopping mall Musinsa, opened an offline store in Myeongdong in March 2024, and foreign customers accounted for nearly half (45%) of its clientele. In its Hongdae and Seongsu stores, 30% of sales were attributed to foreign tourists, indicating a significant portion of fashion-related purchases in major commercial areas are made by foreigners.
Musinsa Standard offers trendy basic fashion items at reasonable prices, making it popular among young Koreans. Its offline stores in key commercial areas like Myeongdong and Hongdae naturally attract foreign tourists. Notably, interest in K-fashion spans various age groups and nationalities. Among Musinsa Standard’s foreign customers, 20% were in their 20s, 35% in their 30s, and 21% were 40 or older. By nationality, customers included Chinese (18%), Japanese (9%), Taiwanese (16%), Americans (12%), and Singaporeans (12%).
Beauty
K-beauty has evolved from being heavily focused on product sales in Asian countries like China to encompassing service experiences for American and European tourists visiting Korea. According to data from inbound tourism platform Creatrip, usage and transaction amounts from Western countries (USA, Australia, Canada, UK, Germany, France) grew more than sixfold in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The average spending per visit was the highest at 130,000 KRW. Popular services included hair and beauty salons, indicating a growing interest in K-beauty experiences beyond just products.
This diversification is also reflected in the cosmetics export market. The Korean cosmetics industry, which saw explosive growth alongside the K-beauty boom, faced significant revenue declines due to a downturn in the Chinese market. However, it is rebounding thanks to market diversification efforts targeting Japan, the USA, and other regions.
Evolution of Hallyu into K-Lifestyle: Expanding Impact through Industrialization and Tourism
The industrialization of Hallyu, encompassing K-pop, K-dramas, K-fashion, K-beauty, and K-food, is not merely a collection of individual products or services but a comprehensive lifestyle embraced by its consumers. Experiences with Hallyu content, such as music or dramas, ignite broader interest in various aspects of Korean pop culture, ultimately fostering curiosity about Korea itself. The notion that the best place to experience both commercialized Hallyu (Commercialized K-Wave) and authentic Korean culture (Authentic K-Culture) is Korea provides a simple yet compelling motivation for Hallyu enthusiasts to visit the country.
The evolution of K-lifestyle from Hallyu positions South Korea as a unique and distinguished tourist destination, setting it apart from neighboring competitors. This differentiation serves as a Key Success Factor for propelling Korea’s tourism industry to the Next Stage. LEMON.LAB, leveraging its accumulated expertise and strategic insight, aims to contribute to the activation of Hallyu industries, including tourism, and the advancement of South Korea’s tourism sector.
References
LEMON.LAB Professionals™ (“LEMON.LAB”) possesses deep understanding and insights into the Hallyu market, including the travel, hospitality, and tourism industries. Our experience includes conducting market research on Hallyu tourism for leading domestic public institutions, as well as developing marketing strategies and activation plans. This background equips us with the capabilities to execute a wide range of related projects effectively.
For inquiries related to the Hallyu market and industry, please email us at chief@lemonlab.pro.
