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KPop Demon Hunters Sparks Tourism To South Korea
Image courtesy of Netflix // Illustration by Kate Walker
The unexpected massive success of KPop Demon Hunters is fueling not only increased tourism to South Korea but also growing demand for a variety of uniquely Korean experiences.
The Big Picture: Visiting places where movies or shows are set — known as “set-jetting” — is nothing new, especially in South Korea. BTS, Parasite, and Squid Game have all contributed to tourism surges dubbed the “Korean Wave.” But KPop Demon Hunters is supercharging travel to an unprecedented level while also spotlighting the everyday activities of a typical Korean resident. That momentum is likely benefiting Korean-owned companies beyond Korea as well.
Behind The Trips: KPop Demon Hunters is by far the most popular movie on Netflix, with over 500 million views… which means a lot of people love it.
And that popularity is translating into real-world impact.
Three months after the movie’s release, flight bookings to South Korea jumped 25% from the year prior. The increase began with tourists from China, Japan, Taiwan, and the US — the exact markets where the movie first blew up in popularity.
Visits to Seoul alone rose 23.1% following the Spotify release of the film’s hit song, “Golden.” The South Korean government said the surge was “fueled by the KPop Demon Hunters craze.”
Bookings at hotspots featured in the movie — like Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul Sky at Lotte World Tower, N Seoul Tower, and Bukchon Hanok Village — grew 350% last year.
That momentum helped South Korea notch a record 18.9 million foreign tourists last year, according to the country’s tourism board.
Final Itinerary: Haemin Yim, the CEO of Korean travel platform Creatrip, says the KPop Demon Hunters travel fad stands out because cultural experiences like jimjilbang bathhouses, hanyak herbal treatments, gimbap meals, and, of course, K-pop shows are seeing major demand. Yim told Bloomberg that “the film essentially functions as a 90-minute showcase of Korean daily life.”
A good movie really can be the best marketing.
Next Vacation: With KPop Demon Hunters taking home two Oscars this past Sunday, expect travel to South Korea to see yet another surge in the coming months.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.