[New Wave] Post-Corona 'Content Tourism' as an Opportunity

Published 19 May.2020 12:00(KST)

In the wake of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the tourism industry has also suffered significant damage, making the post-COVID era a time when more strategic content and tourism strategies are needed. Recently, there has been growing interest in so-called 'content tourism,' which involves visiting locations featured as backgrounds in movies, dramas, animations, literature, songs, and other content. This trend has recently expanded to include visiting and experiencing places related to idols, stars, games, and webtoons. Content tourism often begins based on fandom for the content, and such activities are commonly referred to as 'pilgrimages to sacred sites.'

In fact, this form of tourism has been ongoing not only in Japan but also in Western countries such as Europe, in the form of film tourism (screen tourism) and literary tourism. Examples familiar to us include Nami Island from the well-known drama "Winter Sonata," the "Harry Potter Tour" targeting London and Oxford, and Juliet’s House in Verona. These cases involve images formed through media becoming tourism destinations, enhancing the joy of participation.

However, the recent phenomenon of content tourism differs somewhat from traditional visits to theme park-style tourist sites such as filming locations. It is unique in that participants consume content they find appealing and further expand this into a form of secondary consumption, becoming active agents. The content, which they have deified, along with the 'sacred site' as a place of significant meaning, and the act of 'pilgrimage' to visit and feel moved by that place combine to take on a meaning similar to a religious practice. Participants in content pilgrimages perform their own prescribed acts at these sacred sites. For example, they document their journey and the appearance of the sacred site through photography, donate related illustrations or goods, actively participate in related local events, and further share information by posting these activities on their social media.

In Korea, discussions have taken place on expanding the concept of pilgrimage by applying the BTS tour case. A more dramatic example can be found in director Bong Joon-ho’s "Parasite," which recently became a major topic of conversation. When the Academy Award win was announced, the whole world was enthusiastic about his work, and this interest extended beyond the work itself to the locations featured in the film. Amid this interest, the Seoul Metropolitan Government quickly announced plans to develop a so-called Parasite Tour course to visit the film’s background locations. Of course, there are many critical voices pointing out overtourism and side effects, but the trend of content’s influence expanding into the realm of tourism is growing stronger.

Thus, the connection between content and fandom is being accepted as a new tourism strategy. In fact, in Japan, the enormous economic and cultural ripple effects of content tourism through animations like "Your Name" have been proven through various reports, and efforts are being made at the government and local government levels to actively utilize this.

With the advent of the content era, content and tourism strategies in the post-COVID era will face different aspects. The need to utilize content tourism as an opportunity amid the current crisis in the tourism industry is significant. The expansion of leisure, diversification of content platforms, and development of SNS in modern society’s cultural environment make content more familiar in our daily lives, placing us under its influence. This is why differentiated content consumption as a special experience, not just simple content consumption as a choice, is required. We hope to see improvements in problems, wiser ways to utilize content, and the application of content tourism suitable for us, leading to wise strategies and diverse content areas beyond "Parasite," "BTS," and "Kingdom."