Two-thirds of Asian visitors influenced by 'hallyu'
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More than 60 percent of visitors from Southeast Asian countries are attracted to Korea by the so-called "hallyu (Korean Wave)", according to a survey by the Korea National Tourism Organization.
The survey, conducted on 1,867 visitors from six Southeast Asian countries during the September-December period last year, showed 68.9 percent replied that their tour to Korea was triggered by an interest in Korean pop culture.
About 78.5 percent of Singaporean visitors said they had come here because of an interest in Korean culture, while 41.5 percent of them said hallyu was the main factor in deciding to visit Korea, the highest figure among the nationalities.
Three-quarter's of Thai visitors said their visit was affected by hallyu, as did large percentages from China (72.2 percent), Hong Kong (72.1 percent), Taiwan (71.7 percent) and Japan (67.1 percent).
Visitors listed Korean food as the favorite Korean-made culture item.
With plural answers allowed, a total of 78.9 percent said they liked Korean food, with 62.4 percent also putting Korean TV dramas at the top of their favorites list. Around 40 percent also liked Korean movies.
"As food seems to be the most appealing aspect for many Asian visitors, we are planning to increase publicity on Korean food to those countries", said an official of the organization.
The survey, conducted on 1,867 visitors from six Southeast Asian countries during the September-December period last year, showed 68.9 percent replied that their tour to Korea was triggered by an interest in Korean pop culture.
About 78.5 percent of Singaporean visitors said they had come here because of an interest in Korean culture, while 41.5 percent of them said hallyu was the main factor in deciding to visit Korea, the highest figure among the nationalities.
Three-quarter's of Thai visitors said their visit was affected by hallyu, as did large percentages from China (72.2 percent), Hong Kong (72.1 percent), Taiwan (71.7 percent) and Japan (67.1 percent).
Visitors listed Korean food as the favorite Korean-made culture item.
With plural answers allowed, a total of 78.9 percent said they liked Korean food, with 62.4 percent also putting Korean TV dramas at the top of their favorites list. Around 40 percent also liked Korean movies.
"As food seems to be the most appealing aspect for many Asian visitors, we are planning to increase publicity on Korean food to those countries", said an official of the organization.
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