Hallyu tourism: The effects of broadcast and music

Limited studies have empirically shown that the inbound tourism of South Korea (hereafter Korea) is positively influenced by Hallyu, a Korean popular culture. Conceptually, some studies have suggested that in recent years, the popularity of Korean popular music is greater than Korean dramas, which spread Hallyu beyond the boundary of Korea since the late 1990s. This research note is the first attempt to analyse the effects of the two main aspects of Hallyu: broadcast, inclusive of Korean dramas and variety shows, and Korean popular music, on Korea’s inbound tourism. The findings suggest that broadcast has a stronger positive impact than Korean popular music on Korea’s inbound tourism because broadcast improves the destination image by featuring locations.