The Korea Tourism Organization is creating and airing a cooking program that features regional Korean specialties aimed at Japanese audiences. This initiative comes as part of their efforts to promote unique cultural experiences available in Korea, particularly targeting Japanese tourists who have a high rate of returning visits compared to those from other countries. In September, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Korea recovered to 123.7% of the same period in 2019, marking the highest monthly recovery since the pandemic. The trend is expected to continue into October and November.
The program will be broadcast through Asahi Broadcasting Corporation TV’s “Mocomichi Hayami’s Travel Kitchen,” where the popular actor Mocomichi Hayami will introduce Korean regional specialties and cuisine. The show will feature him enjoying ‘mukbang’ at Gwangju’s Tteokgalbi street and participating in a Kimjang experience in Haenam using local cabbages. The program is scheduled to air three times from November 17 to December 25 and will later be available on OTT platforms.
The director of the Japan team at the Korea Tourism Organization, Park Seong-woong, emphasized Japan as a key market due to the high rate of returning visitors, with 47.8% of Japanese tourists having visited Korea more than four times, significantly higher than the overall foreign tourist revisit rate of 27.8%. The organization plans to continue attracting both new and returning tourists by showcasing unique Korean experiences like Kimjang and local foods.
Additionally, on November 14, a group of 11 travel industry professionals and journalists from Japan’s Kyushu region visited Gangwon Province to enjoy the autumn scenery and participate in a kimchi-making experience at a Korean cuisine facility, Jeonggangwon. They aim to use these diverse travel experiences to develop tourism products focused on autumn and regional specialties in Korea.