korean tourism organisation malaysia

Korea Tourism Organization Malaysia

Operating Hours: Monday-Friday: 10:00am to 7:00pm Saturday: 10:00am to 3:00pm Closed: Sunday & Public Holidays.

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• 603-2072 2515
• www.visitkorea.com.my

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• Monday 10:00 - 19:00
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• Saturday 10:00 - 15:00

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This is the official YouTube channel of Korea Tourism Organization_Malaysia. Follow us for more updates on Korea travel and related events happening in Malaysia. Facebook: www.facebook.com/KTOMalaysia/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/kto_malaysia/ Twitter: twitter.com/KTO_Malaysia

Thanks to all the participants who applied for the contest to win 1-Day Tour with 2018 Leisure Chuncheon K-Pop Mega Concert! We wish everyone have a great time in Chuncheon😉 Congrats to all the winners 🎉🎉🎉

Dear Korea Travel Kaki,

Drop by KTO booth at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre for more information on traveling around Korea. We'll be here from 3 - 5 Aug 2018, 10am - 9pm!

For those who purchase the Korea package at any of participating travel agencies during the MITM KL, you are eligible to receive a special gift from us 🎁

Can’t wait to see you soon! 😊 #MITMKL2018 #visitkorea2018

Beautiful fireworks in #Pohang, Gyeongsangnam-do, less than 2 hours drive from #Busan.

[COUNTDOWN] Last 2 days to have a chance of winning a pair of FREE flight ticket to #Korea! Catch the #Korea4seaonsLRT while you can! 😊

Come and visit our booth in MATTA Fair Sabah from 27 - 29 July 2018 at Suria Sabah Mall (10am- 9pm). Gift redemption for those who buy the package tour during this event also available! See you there!

#koreatourismorganization #kto #mattafairsabah #kotakinabalu @ Suria Sabah Shopping Mall

Hello guys! It’s our first time in Ipoh and we are very excited to meet you guys 😄Do visit our booth here at Ipoh Parade Mall (opposite Starbucks and The Coffee Bean) if you would to receive more information on traveling around Korea (27th-29th July). For those who purchase the Korea package at any of participating travel agencies during the MITM Ipoh, you are eligible to receive a special gift from us 🎁 Can’t wait to see you soon! 🙋🏻‍♀️ #MITMIpoh2018 #visitkorea2018 @ Ipoh Parade

When going to jail is actually quite fun because you can cosplay Korean prisoner clothes with your partner and act out the scenes of the popular drama like Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2012), Signal (2018), Iris (2017), etc.

The unsual dating place - #Iksan Prison Set, #Jeollabuk

How to get there 👉 From Jeonju Station > Hamyeol Station, take taxi to Iksan Prison Set (around 5 mins)

Thanks Have Halal, Will Travel for the great coverage of #Jeju attractions! We miss Jeju already! 😟

#DiscoverNewJeju

Tag a friend who loves to shop for cute and creative stationeries, craft supplies and gifts in Korea than clothing. 😆

#ArtBox, Korea’s leading stationery gift shop chain has over 100 branches throughout Korea including #Myeongdong. A must-go for your friend!

Two faces of Seoul! Which side interests you more? Up or bottom?

#ImagineYourKorea #VisitKorea #Korea #KoreanLife #SouthKorea #Retro #Cozy #KoreaDaily #KoreanStyle

Look out Potterfans, a new Harry Potter-themed cafe just opened in #Busan and the place looks super legit!

PO TID (포티드) Operating Hours: 11:30-22:30 Location: 30, Jungang-daero 680beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan (부산 부산진구 중앙대로680번길 30

#ImagineYourKorea

The upcoming Gogossing seminar brings you to #Hadong, a county located in the region called “the Korean Alps,” is a hidden gem of Korean tourism.

You can find the Cherry Road meandering along the Seomjingang River in spring; fragrant tea fields creating picturesque landscapes; and above all else, #Jirisan Mountain which is Korea’s number one national park.

Register for the seminar and learn more about Hadong! Only 30 seats available!

Korea's most beautiful and peaceful Starbucks!

Located at Seocho, #Seoul, Starbucks Famille Park resembles art more so than a store. With its glass dome ceiling and floating pigeon decors — it's perfectly Insta-worthy.

How to go 👉 Express Bus Terminal Station (Seoul Subway Line 3, 7 or 9) > exit 7 > Fammie Station Mall

#Busan the Number 1 Best Destination in Asia, credited Lonely Planet! 😄

Which new Korean drama would you recommend? What's Wrong With Secretary Kim or Mr. Sunshine?

#Hallyu #koreadrama

[Hi, Ice Cream], new indoor shooting gallery in #Seoul that will satisfy your teen hearts and souls.

15 pinky themes decorated with giant ice-cream toys🍦, carousel and colorful ball-pit pool are open for you to take as many Instagrammable photo as you want!

Gallery will open until Sep 7, 2018. Don't miss it! 😏

How to go 👉 Seongsu Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 3, walk for 5 mins. www.facebook.com/hiicecreamexhibition/

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Welcome to the official home page of travel and tourism for DPR Korea Tourism Regional Representative Office for South East Asia and India. Book your hotel room - Drupa 2024 . The DPR Korea Tourism Regional Representative Office for S.E.A. and India was established on 1st August 2012 and is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We are government representative and are tasked with ...

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Korea Tourism Organization

• Address: Menara Hap Seng Sdn. Bhd., Korea Plaza, Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Map
• Phone: +60-320722515

To know anything about Korean tourism, you can pay a visit to the Korea Tourism Organization. This is not a mere visitor center, but an interesting spot in itself because it not only helps tourists by providing them information, but it also offers many interesting classes for free. The staff of this center is very friendly and informative and they offer designer classes on subjects like cooking and languages like Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and English. Korea Tourism Organization has a prayer room and it offers discount vouchers to the tourists also.

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• Bus 79 to stop - Opposite Menara KL, Jalan P.Ramlee
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• Korea Tourism Organization Address: Menara Hap Seng Sdn. Bhd., Korea Plaza, Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Korean stars Kim Jaejoong, Soyou and more to perform at Korea Travel Fest 2023

Saturday, 14 Oct 2023

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Planning a trip to Seoul? Get more information at Korea Travel Fest 2023. — HUONG NGUYEN/Pixabay

There is no denying that South Korea remains one of the more popular travel destinations for Malaysians.

Be it the allure of K-culture or the country’s scenic nature, there is a plethora of reasons to visit South Korea.

Travellers who are planning a trip to the charming country soon will undoubtedly benefit from the Korea Travel Fest 2023 that will be held from Oct 28 to 29 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Held in conjunction with Visit Korea Year 2023 and 2024, Korea Travel Fest is a two-day programme that will offer everything from travel information to K-beauty products and even K-pop performances.

“The Korea Travel Fest is not just any event; it’s a celebration that will bring an immersive K-experience to the heart of Kuala Lumpur, a city known for its vibrant diversity,” Moon Sangho, managing director of Korea Tourism Organisation Malaysia, said in a statement.

He also expressed hopes that the festival will not only deepen the cultural exchange between South Korea and Malaysia but also further encourage more Malaysians to travel to the republic.

Hosted by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism together with the Korea Tourism Organisation, with the support of the Embassy of Republic of Korea in Malaysia, Korea Travel Fest 2023 is set to be an exciting extravaganza for travel fans.

At the K-Travel Zone, travel information booths – by participating regional tourism organisations and partners such as AirAsia X, Batik Air, Busan Tourism Organisation, Visit Korea Committee and Jeju Tourism Organisation – will provide visitors with insights on places to explore and discover in South Korea.

K-Content Zone, meanwhile, will give visitors who are planning a winter trip a taste of skiing via a VR Zone showcase. It will also allow visitors to experience South Korean tradition by trying on traditional costumes or learning about Korean calligraphy.

Other zones to experience include the K-beauty Zone for the latest in Korean beauty products, and K-food Zone for popular food and drinks found in Korean convenience stores.

Of course, what is a K-festival without K-pop? Hallyu fans will be entertained with live performances by Soyou (former member of K-pop girl group SISTAR), Vincent Blue, Kassy and Car, The Garden on the first day – as they perform popular K-drama theme tracks.

The second day will see popular singer-actor Kim Jaejoong take the stage, where he will be treating fans to an exclusive concert and interact with them in a special session.

For more information, check out the Korea Travel Fest 2023 website ( https://koreatravelfest2023.com/ ).

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Tags / Keywords: South Korea , Visit Korea Year Korea Travel Fest , kim jaejoon , soyou , tourism , kto

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Outbound Tourism: Why Do Malaysians Choose South Korea Again?

This study focuses on the cultural determinants of Malaysian outbound travel to South Korea. The globalization of Korean popular culture and its acceptance was rapidly growing all over the world. The big question is whether this factor also affects the reasons Malaysian travelers in revisiting South Korea. Three-fold objectives were to explore the extent of the intention to revisit South Korea among Malaysian tourists, compare the intention to visit between frequent viewers and infrequent viewers of Korean dramas, and identify contributing factors towards Malaysian tourists’ intention to revisit South Korea. Thus, using the Stimulus Organism Response, the theory explains the effect of the external environment on tourist behaviour through their personal emotion and experience at visited destinations. The findings showed that with a 39% variance explained, Korean rare image, cuisine, and drama had a significant influence on the revisit intention. Hence, tourism stakeholders should seriously promote Malaysia through SDG-11, benchmarking Korean efforts by preserving and conserving culture to maintain a people's integrity and serve as a source of national pride.

Keywords: Outbound tourism , revisit intention , SDG-11

Introduction

Sdg-11 and repeat visitation.

Sustainable cities and communities in South Korea tourism and sustainable development goals (SDG) are interrelated for a more sustainable future tourism activities. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), tourism can contribute directly or indirectly to the goals stated in SDG-11, particularly to increase tourism competitiveness for sustainability. The globalization of Korean popular culture and its acceptance was rapidly growing all over the world. Its popularity, such as Korean drama (K-drama), songs, movies, and variety shows, is spread to various countries such as North and Southeast, specifically in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Mongolia, and Vietnam ( Ariffin et al., 2018 ). The term Korean Wave or Hallyu has been used to describe the rising popularity of Korean entertainment and culture and spreads to Malaysia: through music, drama, food, and fashion ( Kim et al., 2020 ). Their interests in the Korean Wave consequently led to a curiosity in Koreans' society ( Teh & Goh, 2016 ).

Repeat visitation is one of the most important subjects nowadays. Tan ( 2017 ) mentioned that repeat visitation is a cost-effective and desirable market segment for destination marketing organizations. Quintal and Polczynski ( 2010 ) documented that customer satisfaction leads to the revisit intention to the place and resulted in positive word-of-mouth. The Stimulus Organism Response (SOR) model (Figure 1) explains that the internal emotions of tourists (O) are shaped by the stimulus of the external environment (S), which later triggered the tourist’s response (R). The SOR model is closely related to cognitive theory as it involves the psychological relationships suitable to explain tourist behaviour. Revisiting motivations and action in the planning of the trip are driven by destination image, relaxation, and recreation (Min et al., 2020: Som et al., 2012).

Korean Drama, Music, Cuisine, and Rare Image

Past research showed that film could upgrade destination preference and increase intention to visit the destinations. Rewtrakunphaiboon ( 2017 ) explicitly incorporated a gathering of non-viewers of K-dramas and two groups of viewers who had a low and high frequency of viewing K-dramas to concentrate on the impacts of recurrence of reviewing Korean films. The outcomes showed that the higher the frequency of survey K-dramas, the higher the intention to visit Korea. Ahn et al. ( 2017 ) found that the frequency of viewers related to the current progression of TV innovation. Thus, we formulated a hypothesis:

K-dramas became a phenomenon in neighboring countries, then spread to Southeast Asia ( Kim et al., 2008 ). The drama and storyline based on the lifestyle, stereotype, and cultural enclosure become word of mouth among the audiences, especially the housewives. Consequently, they are inspired to consume cultural products and have the intention to visit ( Kim et al., 2020 ). Kim et al. (2019) revealed that the effects of emotional interaction with TV drama stars and behavioural interaction with TV drama stars on purchasing celebrity-related products and visit intention were significant. K-drama factor such as Korean TV drama, emotional and behavioural involvement in terms of TV drama celebrities and TV drama, mass media, and consumption of TV dramas did portray it influenced the visit or revisit intention to Korea ( Halim & Kiatkawsin, 2021 ). Thus,

Ramli ( 2016 ) stated that 10,000 fans attended the Big Bang World tour concert in Kuala Lumpur. Cultural dance or music performed by BTS pop star groups influenced tourism behaviour intention, influencing tourists’ interest to buy any Korean cultural products ( Kim et al., 2008 ; Kwak et al., 2019 ). Kim et al. ( 2021 ) reiterated that except for producers, the five K-pop success factors, casting, training, producing/promotion, social media, and content, are crucial to sustainability and increasing tourist intention. However, Korean popular music did not affect Korea’s image in the study of Sydney, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Dubai ( Lee et al., 2015 ). Thus, we design a hypothesis,

Korean cuisine gained popularity among foreign markets and these trends became the driving force for tourists to experience authentic food. The uniqueness of Korean cuisine and the image of destinations can also be connected to the Korean cuisine aspect ( Kim et al., 2012 ). Seo et al. ( 2017 ) determined the relationship between the cognitive image of the destination and the affective image of the destination with the food testing intention at the destination. Kim et al. ( 2008 ) discovered that Korean cuisine impacted the visit intention to Korea with a 62.3% agreement. Jeong’s ( 2018 ) historical analysis of food television showed that food testing intention at the destination is positively affected by the preference of the tourist destination. The attitude towards cuisine should be viewed in the Korean aspect, as Kim and Kwon ( 2018 ) found positive relationships between mental image, affective image, attitude towards the country, attitude towards the product, and attitude towards the cuisine on revisit intention. Based on these arguments, we design the following hypothesis,

Another interesting factor that makes most Malaysian tourists intend to revisit is Korean rare images ( Saad et al., 2022 ). The images are hardly found except in South Korea. Korean beauty products gained popularity as the extension of the Korean Wave phenomenon as people nowadays are attracted to “made in Korea” labelled when involving K-beauty products, which products have penetrated the Swedish market and attracted millennial women due to their attributes, image, and quality ( Ingels, 2020 ). As an extension of the Korean beauty standard, South Korea is also known for medical tourism for cosmetic surgery which is common in Korea’s entertainment industry ( Lee, 2019 ). Lee ( 2019 ) stated that cosmetic surgery is almost nothing and passable among residents since it can boost women’ confidence of women. The Seoul Metropolitan Government realised the obsession with K-beauty can create a beauty tourism attraction or interactive which is called Seoul Beauty Road where tourists can experience the popular makeup styles of Korean idols and actors and check out the latest beauty trends in the country by walking ( Jeong, 2021 ). Another rare image of Korea is known as the fastest internet connection speed with 5G networks and mobile internet is faster than the world average Mbps ( Pulse, 2020 ). Faster speed of internet connection would ease the activities of e-word of the mouth of sharing tourists’ experiences with their friends. The formulated hypothesis is then,The previous studies have investigated factors determining the intention to revisit Korea for example, drama (Kim et al., 2019), music ( Kim et al., 2021 ), cuisine ( Seo et al., 2017 ), and rare images ( Ingels, 2020 ; Jeong, 2021 ; Lee, 2019 ; Pulse, 2020 ). To our knowledge, there is no such study that combines all these factors. Thus, we are filling this research gap to study these four factors altogether in relation to Malaysian tourists' intention to revisit South Korea.

Problem Statement

Statista ( 2021 ) reported a significant increase in Malaysian tourists to South Korea since 2012. Within five years, the numbers were doubled in 2016. As many reported that the reason for traveling to South Korea was due to their interest and the influence of the Hallyu, this study is to investigate if Hallyu plays the same role for Malaysian travelers to revisit the country.

Research Questions

Three-fold questions were:

what is the tendency of Malaysian tourists to have the intention to revisit South Korea?

Is there a significant difference between frequent and infrequent viewers’ intention to revisit South Korea?

What is the most significant factor among Malaysian tourists in their intention to revisit South Korea?

Purpose of the Study

This study focuses on the cultural determinants of Malaysian outbound travel to South Korea.

Research Methods

Population and sampling.

The quantitative technique was chosen for this study for its emphasis on numbers in data collecting and analysis. According to Statista ( 2021 ), more than 311,000 Malaysians visited South Korea in 2016. The estimated sample size is 384 based on the given population ( Krejcie & Morgan, 1970 ). The population of this study was Malaysian tourists who have visited South Korea, at least once. Using a purposive sampling approach, we gathered 186 respondents who fitted the criteria.

Instrument Development and Data Analysis

The data were collected through an online questionnaire developed by adapting a pre-established online questionnaire from Teh and Goh ( 2016 ) for K-drama, Joo et al. ( 2017 ) for culture, Ahn et al. ( 2017 ) and Lee et al. ( 2015 ) for music and Jeong ( 2018 ) for Korean cuisine. The items of revisit intentions were from Som et al. ( 2012 ) and Joo et al. ( 2017 ). This study computed the descriptive statistics to evaluate the respondents’ profiles as well as to explain the nature of the data distribution. Then, we proceeded with ANOVA to compare the revisit intentions among the respondents who frequently watch K-drama with those who watched the drama less frequently, and multiple regression analyses to examine the factors that contributed to the revisit intention to South Korea.

The Descriptive Statistics

The participants in this study were 186 Malaysian tourists who have visited Korea. A majority (68%) were between 18 to 24 years old. About a quarter of the tourists were between 25 to 35 years old. Only about 7% of the tourists were 36 years and older. The demographic data also showed that the tourists’ highest level of education was a doctoral degree (one respondent). Most participants had a bachelor’s degree (70%). As shown in Table 1, one dependent variable (labeled DV, i.e., Revisit Intention) and four independent variables (labeled IV) were included in this study. Revisit Intention had a mean score of 5.33 with a standard deviation of 1.079. The IV Korean Music had the lowest mean score (M = 3.08, SD = 1.893). Korean Cuisine had the highest mean score among the IVs (M = 5.22, SD = 1.019).

The skewness and kurtosis values of 0 show that a dataset has characteristics similar to a normal distribution ( Blanca et al., 2013 ). The positive values of the kurtosis indicate that the curve is more peaked than the normal distribution and the negative ones are flatter than the normal ones. Griffin and Steinbrecher ( 2013 ) suggested that acceptable values of skewness fall between -3 and +3, and kurtosis is appropriate from a range of -10 to +10.

Level of Intention to Revisit Korea

The first inquiry is expressed in Research Question 1:We examined the data using the frequency analysis on the item “I am willing to revisit South Korea.” A majority of the participants (61.8%) strongly agreed with the statement. An additional 20.4% also expressed agreement have an intention to revisit Korea.

Revisit Intention and Its Influencing Factors among K-drama Viewers

The second research question was:We performed the ANOVA to evaluate mean differences across two or more groups ( Thompson, 2006 ). The frequencies were categorized into four groups: everyday, 1-3 days per week, once a while, and uncertain. The results in Table 2 indicate that there was no statistical significant difference between the frequencies of watching K-drama in tourists’ revisit intention (F(3,182) = .946; p > .05). This result suggests that the frequency of watching K-drama has no effect on tourists’ revisit intention.

The third research question was:We performed a multiple regression analysis to investigate the relationships between four IVs and one DV. As shown in Table 3, collectively, there was a statistical significant association between the four IVs on tourists’ revisit intention to Korea (R2 = 38.5%; F (4, 181) = 28.271; p < .05). The R 2 value shows that the four IVs explained for 38.5% variance in revisit intention to Korea among Malaysian tourists (F (4, 181) = 28.271; p < .05).

Zooming into the influence of individual IVs on revisit intention, K-drama (b = .138, p < .05), Korean Cuisine (b = .264, p < .05), and Korean Rare Image (b = .389, p < .05) had a statistical significant influence on revisit intention. However, Korean Music did not have a significant association with revisit intention (b = .077, p = .231). Further, H2a states there is a significant relationship between K-drama and revisit intention. According to the multiple regression results, K-drama yielded a statistically significant regression coefficient (b = .138, p < .05, CI = .013 - .246). Our results did not support H2b as Korean Music did not have a significant relationship with revisit intention (b = .077, p = .231, CI = -.025 - .113). As for Korean Cuisine, results confirmed hypothesis H2c (b = .264, p < .05, CI = .115 - .409). H2d states there is a significant relationship between Korean rare image and revisit intention. The results confirm the hypothesis in which the beta value was statistically significant (b = .389, p < .05, CI = .233 - .475). Korea’s rare images yielded the largest beta value in the model and the range of the 95% CI for the beta was also narrow. To conclude, Korea's rare image, Korean cuisine, and K-drama were factors that significantly influence tourists to have an intention to revisit Korea. Korean music, however, was not a significant factor in revisiting Korean among Malaysian tourists.

Discussions

Our main findings reveal that the majority of Malaysian tourists have a very high tendency to repeat their visit to South Korea, particularly the younger generation of female Malaysian tourists, and this scenario is similar to Nguyen et al. ( 2020 ) for repeated tourists from China and Vietnam. The interest of Malaysian tourists to travel again to South Korea was influenced by the travelling experience on the first visit. In our study, interestingly we found that Malaysian tourists would not repeat the visit to South Korea due to the number of K-dramas that they had watched, and the results are contradicted the previous study. The discrepancies in the findings between the tourists from Thailand and Malaysia could be due to the behaviour in which, in the present study, we specifically looked at the revisit intention, unlike the study by Rewtrakunphaiboon ( 2017 ) who investigated the intention to visit South Korea for the first time. Importantly, with 39% variance in the regression model, K-drama, cuisine, rare image, and music, the model has indicated a strong motivation for them to travel again to South Korea.

Korean music, however, had an inconsistent result with Nguyen et al. ( 2020 ). K-pop wave impact on Malaysian tourists was not evident here. In our study, casting, promotion, and content of music, popularity of the singers, and dance choreographers failed to drive Malaysians to travel to South Korea. Interestingly, Korean rare image had almost 40% influence, compared to Korean cuisine (26%) and K-drama (14%). The rare image may include K-Beauty products ( Ingels, 2020 ), cosmetics surgery ( Lee, 2019 ), walking beauty street ( Jeong, 2021 ), and the 5G, the fastest internet speeds on earth ( Pulse, 2020 ). The uniqueness of the food could be a rare experience for the non-Korea. Korean food has been screened in all K-dramas and movies not only displaying people eating but names of the dishes have been mentioned and became part of the scenes, perhaps reminding the tourists of the food they have tried while in South Korea. The availability of Korean food outlets in Malaysia is giving chances of eating the food frequently. Korean cuisine has been on TV reality shows and proven by Kim et al. ( 2012 ), Kim and Kwon ( 2018 ), and Seo et al. ( 2017 ). Malaysians who have watched the K-drama are affected by the storyline that is based on the lifestyle, stereotype, and cultural enclosure become the word of mouth among K-drama lovers. The result from the current study displayed that emotional involvement and behavioural interaction of the Malaysian with the K-drama stars positive and significantly influenced the visit intention to the destination consistent with Halim and Kiatkawsin ( 2021 ), Kim et al. ( 2008 ), and Kim et al. (2019).

Implications

Theoretically, this study supports the SOR model, which is suitable to link to the Malaysian tourist’s behaviour in choosing South Korea for subsequent travelling destinations. The influence on the travelling experience of Malaysian tourists to South Korea is similar to Min et al. ( 2020 ), which explains the SOR. Secondly, our findings enrich the literature by adding the critical factors of the Korean Wave to South Korea. A study on the Korean Wave continues, but our findings add to the fact that though K-pop is very popular with most of Korean and its international tourists, Korean music did not have an influence on Malaysians to repeat their visit to the country. Thirdly, K-drama in the research of Halim and Kiatkawsin ( 2021 ), Kim et al. ( 2008 ), and Kim et al. (2019) have shown a great impact to visit intention, but for this study, it has the great impact for the frequent travelers to South Korea. Similar results apply to the cuisine.

From the practical point of view, the results of this study have shown that South Korea was a choice relating to SDG-11, because the country is developed, but sustains the cities and communities through the tourism activities platform, resulting in the benefit of South Korea’s economy. The help from the allocated budget in preserving the world’s cultural and natural heritage should be appreciated and admired by other countries. We found that Korean Wave could sustain the development and reshape the nation’s economy through the activities of sustaining gastronomy, K-dramas, and culture’s rare image through the effort of tourism activities. We believed that our findings would be able to implicate the Malaysian marketers and travel agencies, hoteliers, food and beverages sector, park and recreations, and any related businesses to the hospitality and tourism industry. These tourism companies should seriously benchmark South Korea on preserving and conserving culture in order to maintain a people's integrity and serve as a source of national pride. Also, to preserve security and foster peace, the government can invest in supporting infrastructure and amenities such as a police station or recruit security personnel. The relevant department should also regularly maintain notice boards or stands in tourist areas, allowing travellers to receive practical advice and accurate information.

Limitations and Future Directions

Probably the Korean Wave interests the younger generation, thus, the snowballing was through their friends at almost the same age. Due to that, the results could only be generalised to the generation. Future researchers could examine the tourists' behaviour during the first and repeat visits if the driving factors are different from the study. Researchers may also want to investigate the influencing factors for a virtual tour, and if the virtual tour experience is compatible with the physical trip.

Overall findings of the present study reveal an interesting note that the repeat travellers to South Korea were from the young generations who were impacted by the experience of the culture's rare image as attractions, cuisine, and drama. This group of tourists would repeat their visit regardless of how frequently they watched the K-dramas. We concluded from the findings, based on the SOR model, rare image, cuisine, and drama acted as an external environment able to affect the behavioural intention of tourists through their personal emotions and experience.

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31 October 2022

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https://doi.org/10.15405/epms.2022.10.7

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Multidisciplinary sciences, sustainable development goals (SDG), urbanisation

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Saad, M., Ramlee, N. Z., Husin, N. A., & Yulia, A. (2022). Outbound Tourism: Why Do Malaysians Choose South Korea Again?. In H. H. Kamaruddin, T. D. N. M. Kamaruddin, T. D. N. S. Yaacob, M. A. M. Kamal, & K. F. Ne'matullah (Eds.), Reimagining Resilient Sustainability: An Integrated Effort in Research, Practices & Education, vol 3. European Proceedings of Multidisciplinary Sciences (pp. 70-79). European Publisher. https://doi.org/10.15405/epms.2022.10.7

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TOURISM MINISTER PROMOTES MALAYSIA IN KOREA

The Minister's visit to Korea is expected to bring more attention to Malaysia as a preferred holiday destination among Koreans. During her visit, the Minister will meet with members of the media and local trade players to give a presentation on several new tourism products/themes that would be of particular interest to the Korean market, i.e. the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) long stay programme, and host a networking lunch. The Minister is also there to launch the winter charters between Incheon and Johor and golf tourism packages.

Afterwards, the Minister will attend T20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting that will continue until Wednesday, 13 October. The Minister was specially invited to the T20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting to talk about the development of the tourism industry in Malaysia and the policies and measures taken by the Ministry in the area.

The T20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting is a venue for tourism ministers from G20 countries to gather and discuss the roles and future direction of the industry. Held in Buyeo, Chungnam of Korea from 11 to 13 October, the meeting will also be attended by delegations from 18 countries and 6 international organizations including UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), European Commission (EC), and International Labor Organization (ILO).

On 14 October, she will be at Hana Bank's headquarters in Eulgiro to provide information on the MM2H long stay programme in Malaysia to the general public.

The Ministry of Tourism's on-going efforts to promote Malaysia in Korea includes the development of tour products using expressions familiar to the Koreans such as SA-Lang (Secret Addiction, Langkawi) launched in 2009 and ACHIM (Amusement, Comfort, Happiness In Malaysia) in 2010 so as to minimize mental distance to Malaysia among Korean tourists. The Ministry also works closely with various airlines to increase accessibility to Malaysia. Joint promotions with a variety of brands are also conducted to promote Malaysia to different market segments.

For more information, please contact: Tourism Malaysia Seoul Email: [email protected] Tel: +82-2-779-4422 Fax: +82-2-779-4254 Website: www.tourism.gov.my or www.mtpb.co.kr

KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION JOINS WATSONS TO LAUNCH MALAYSIA’S FIRST KOREAN BEAUTY FESTA

Caryn Loh, Managing Director, Watsons Malaysia and Danny Hoh, General Manager, Marketing & Customer Growth, Watsons Malaysia

In collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization and supported by Korea Tourism Organization Malaysia Office, Watsons launched its first and biggest K-Beauty Festa “I Got Seoul” campaign. The K-Beauty Festa I Got Seoul” partners  with some of Watsons’ exclusive, most loved and trusted K-Beauty brands including cosmetics, skincare, hair care and health care for a month-long campaign happening from 23 February until 29 March 2023.

“With the current k-beauty trend in Malaysia, Watsons Malaysia offers a one-stop solution for all K-beauty fans’ needs. This is in line with our brand DNA to stay relevant, and in-trend and aims to be the segment leader to provide our customers with the full Korean experience,” said Caryn Loh, Managing Director, Watsons Malaysia.

Celebrity Friends Chit Chat Session with Rose Nicotine (left) and Tara Choi (right)

To kick off this mega campaign, Watsons is launching a Spend & Win contest where Watsons club members can stand a chance to win a 5 Days 4 Night (5D4N) trip to South Korea. To participate, Watsons Club members need to spend RM120 & above on participating brands’ products in-store & online in a single receipt. Elite members, will stand a chance to win two (2) times entry when they purchase RM120 and above. 10 lucky winners will be selected to win at the end of the contest.

(Left to right): Danny Hoh, General Manager, Marketing & Customer Growth, Watsons Malaysia; Caryn Loh, Managing Director, Watsons Malaysia; Moon Sangho, Managing Director, Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia Office); Hae In Shin, Marketing Director, Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia Office)

“The rising global popularity of Korean Content – from K-pop to K-drama, to K-beauty continues to capture the hearts of Malaysians. We are delighted to be partnering with Watsons Malaysia to further elevate the Korean experience for Malaysians”, said Mr Moon Sangho, Managing Director, Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia Office).  Mr Moon added, “As 2023-2024 is designated Visit Korea Year, Malaysians can expect to experience more of Korea’s various charms.”

KOL Irene and Adam Ham at Watsons K-Beauty Festa

On top of that, in conjunction with the mega campaign, customers can visit for a limited time only K-Beauty Festa “I Got Seoul” at Sentul Depot KL from 16 – 19 March 2023 and immerse themselves with K-brands and products through experiential offerings, of beauty workshops, fun games, meet & greet sessions, Korean delicacies and many more. Look out for K-participating brands from skincare, cosmetics, personal care and health available to offer their experiential offering.

Rajwin Paul Singh

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Korea Tourism Organization is ready to satiate that appetite with the return of Korea Fest 2022 that will take place from 4 to 6 November 2022 at LG Oval, 1 Utama Shopping Centre.

Korea Fest 2022-Experience The Best of Korea

The festival promises a three-day immersive K-everything experience, from K-beauty to K-Culture, and K-Performances to K-Food.

By Korea Tourism Organization on October 25, 2022 3 minutes read

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• Korea travel information booths 
• Exhibitors consisting of regional tourism provinces will provide travel information
• Gangwon Province
• Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
• Annyeong Kawan with Lee Jae Wook – Meet and Greet Session
• Extreme Dance Comedy performance by Breakout – It’s physical theatre. It’s non-verbal. It’s dance. It’s comedy. It’s gymnastics. Break out! A prison fantasy combining extreme b-body dance styles and hilarious comedy.
• Cultural Art Performance by Black Dot – Everything begins and ends with a dot. Black Dot, is a performance team that combines Korean Calligraphy and Taekwondo martial arts to express the true colours of Korea. 
• Official KTO mascot appearances and photo zone.
• Complimentary Hanbok Experience.
• VR Experience
• Nice to CU Cafe
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KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION

Country: Republic of Korea

Website: http://kto.visitkorea.or.kr