Yonsei, K-EnterTechHub map how Netflix viewing turns into Korea trips

Yonsei University and K-EnterTechHub unveiled a survey and new filming-location map in Seoul showing how K-content viewers move from streaming to search, booking and travel to Korea. The findings point to strong tourism conversion, with Netflix-linked titles already driving flight bookings, site visits and spending.

Why it matters: - Korea is turning screen exposure into measurable inbound tourism demand. - The release frames OTT tourism as a repeatable pipeline from viewing to spending, not just a branding effect. - The findings matter for tourism policy, regional development and content investment because the conversion gap shows where visitors drop out.

What happened: - Yonsei University’s School of Communication, Office of International Affairs and Communication Research Institute co-hosted “K-Culture Explained” with K-EnterTechHub on June 30 at Gakdang Hall in Seoul. - The event drew about 300 Korean and international students at the opening of Yonsei’s International Summer School. - Speakers included professors Woo Mi-sung, Sang Yoon-mo and Seung-Hoon Jeong, Netflix Korea’s Kim Mi-hoo and Lee Kang-i, KTO’s Cha Hyuk-jin and Digital Future Institute’s Kwon Oh-sang. - Hudson AI provided real-time Korean-English subtitle translation. - The event introduced a five-country survey and the interactive K-Screen Tour Map showing filming locations tied to K-content travel.

The details: - Jung Han of K-EnterTechHub outlined a seven-stage OTT tourism model: exposure, interest, search, booking, visit, spending and revisit. - Per 100 viewers, 85 search and 72 express intent to visit Korea. - The funnel drops to 38 at booking, 31 at visit, 26 at spending and 11 long-term repeat visitors. - Jung Han proposed a multilingual “One-Stop K-Tourism Pass” and permanent “content trails” to reduce drop-off. - Jung Han also proposed an OTT Tourism Industry Ecosystem built around studios, streamers, tourism bodies, airlines and OTAs, F&B and retail, local governments and ministries. - Jung Han cited Squid Game season 3’s “Young-hee” statue at Gwanghwamun as an example of planning tourism before release rather than after. - Jung Han pointed to New Zealand, the UK, Thailand and Iceland as benchmarks for pre-release collaboration and stronger incentives. - Kim Mi-hoo said Netflix marketing is about creating conversation and giving fans ways to participate and spread stories. - Kim Mi-hoo cited the “When Life Gives You Tangerines” campaign, which ran from pre-release wedding-photo events to post-launch fan events. - Kim Mi-hoo said Netflix has roughly 1.4 billion social followers and 224 billion organic impressions. - Lee Kang-i said more than 80% of Netflix members worldwide watch Korean content. - Lee Kang-i said Netflix uses subtitles, dubbing, personalized visuals and curation to lower language barriers and guide discovery. - Lee Kang-i said a mobile vertical discovery feed is coming to Korea. - “KPop Demon Hunters” lifted flight bookings to Korea by 146% in Spain and 122% in Germany within four weeks. - The title also helped make Bukchon, Myeongdong and N Seoul Tower fandom destinations. - “Culinary Class Wars” lifted reservations for featured chefs by 148% within a week, with foreign bookings at 38% six months later. - “When Life Gives You Tangerines” produced an estimated 90 billion won effect on Jeju, with 600 crew members and 4,000 partner firms involved. - Netflix’s “Netflix Effect” report says $135 billion invested since 2016 added more than $325 billion to the global economy. - The report says Netflix has used 4,500+ filming locations in 50+ countries and supported 425,000+ jobs. - Kwon Oh-sang argued the public sector needs “intermediate data” that tracks the path from viewing to revisit by title, country and region. - Cha Hyuk-jin said the Korea Tourism Organization is using Netflix partnerships to create real inbound demand. - Cha Hyuk-jin said campaigns lifted Korea-related search, awareness and preference together. - Cha Hyuk-jin said KTO is routing filming locations into courses, signing drama agreements that account for tourism from pre-production and building nationwide landmark installations. - Prof. Sang Yoon-mo said hallyu contact is the top trigger for interest in visiting Korea at 39.6%. - Prof. Seung-Hoon Jeong argued Netflix absorbed cinema’s values, including long takes, intensified continuity, mind-game devices and social critique. - Prof. Jeong said “KPop Demon Hunters” reached theaters after building online popularity. - The I&I Research survey covered 105 respondents across five countries. - In the survey, 98% said they first watched K-content on Netflix. - The survey found a 6.04 out of 7 influence score on visit decisions. - The survey found 78% of location visitors shared their trips on social media. - The K-Screen Tour Map launched with 33 coordinates and is planned to grow into a multilingual platform.

Between the lines: - The event’s core message is that streaming platforms are now part of Korea’s tourism infrastructure, not just entertainment distribution. - The conversion gap between viewing and booking suggests the biggest opportunities are in multilingual planning tools, easier booking and post-visit retention. - The repeated focus on pre-release coordination signals a shift from reacting to hits toward designing tourism outcomes into content strategy. - The survey is small, but the direction of travel aligns with the larger booking and visitation data cited throughout the event.

What's next: - Organizers plan to expand the K-Screen Tour Map into a continuously updated multilingual platform. - Advocates want more pre-release collaboration between content producers and tourism agencies. - The Korea Tourism Organization said it will keep building location-based courses, regional entry options and stay-type products. - The broader goal is to turn K-content attention into repeat visits and wider regional spending.

The bottom line: - Netflix-driven K-content is increasingly functioning as a tourism funnel for Korea, and the new map, survey and policy push are aimed at making that funnel easier to measure and scale.