[Yanolja Research Insights] Vol.26 Korea Tourism Destination Brand Equity: Model Development and Brand Performance Assessment

Korea Tourism Brand Equity: Key Insights and Strategic Directions

Inbound tourism to Korea surged to 16.37 million in 2024, nearing pre-pandemic levels, with projections to surpass the 2019 record in 2025.
Traditional metrics like visitor numbers and spending alone do not fully capture the strength of Korea’s tourism brand.
Social media data reveals how international visitors perceive Korea’s tourism brand across five dimensions: Brand Awareness, Brand Image, Brand Association, Brand Quality, and Brand Loyalty.

Brand Awareness slightly declined overall in 2024 despite increased tourist arrivals, with notable drops in China and Japan. Seoul remains the most recognized city, though its buzz volume decreased, while Jeju and Busan showed stable or improved awareness.
Brand Image experienced a decline in positive sentiment, especially among visitors from Japan, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, likely due to overtourism and low-cost package tours affecting visitor experience.
Brand Association diversified, with K-content (K-pop, dramas) as the strongest cultural driver, followed by shopping and K-food. Different markets show distinct preferences: long-haul visitors favor K-content and nature, while nearby countries focus more on shopping and food.
Brand Quality scores declined in most core experience areas except K-food, with concerns about overcrowding and mismatched expectations. Enabling factors like accommodation and transportation improved, but safety, hygiene, and language support saw declines in some markets.
Brand Loyalty remains high but showed a slight decrease overall. Southeast Asia and the U.S. markets increased loyalty, while Japan’s loyalty dropped significantly.

Tailored Value Propositions: Customize tourism offerings to meet distinct preferences of key source markets, such as emphasizing K-content and nature for U.S. visitors and shopping and culinary experiences for Taiwanese tourists.
High Value-Added Products: Shift focus from volume-driven, low-cost tourism to premium, experiential, and niche tourism products, including medical and wellness tourism.
Regional Tourism Development: Promote secondary hubs like Busan and Jeju to reduce overtourism in Seoul and balance tourist distribution.
Leveraging K-Content: Expand tourism packages and events centered on Korean cultural exports to deepen emotional engagement and attract visitors.

Increasing visitor numbers alone is insufficient; qualitative growth through strategic brand management is essential.
Addressing overtourism and enhancing visitor satisfaction will be critical to transforming Korea into a destination that travelers want to revisit.
Continuous monitoring and data-driven strategies will support Korea’s evolution into a globally competitive tourism brand.

For detailed data, analysis, and recommendations, please visit the official website.