Ja Young (Jacey) Choe
School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The objective of this study is to examine the trend of food tourism in Korea. Food tourism is a new niche market that is growing in Korea. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 41.7% of tourists indicated that food is one of the top reasons for visiting Korea. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, this percentage increased to 49.2% in 2009. The discussion shows the signs of potential development of the food tourism industry in Korea. First, the Korean food culture is unique in the sense that for Koreans, food not only physically fills the stomach, but also provides gastronomy, medicine and connection to the country. Entire films and dramas based on diverse Korean cuisines are common. Second, many young Korean chefs have their own TV shows or restaurants, achieve success running Korean restaurants abroad, and are passionate about globalizing Korean cuisines. Third, Korea has its own diverse agricultural resources known for high quality and safety. Fourth, almost every food ingredient and cuisine has an interesting story because of a long culinary heritage.
(Presented in the conference : 2017 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum : Culture of Leisure – Balance of Life, 7-8 August 2017, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand)