The ‘Korean Wave’ is boosting tourism in unexpected places
As the popularity of K-dramas has gone global, so have the filming locations of these shows—and fans are jetting across the world to set foot where their favorite stars and characters have been.
The set-jetting effect—a travel trend where people visit locations featured in movies and TV shows—has boosted tourism to destinations such as Thailand, Hawaii, Italy, and Croatia. Hollywood isn’t the only place reaping the benefits. In South Korea, Korean dramas (K-dramas) have bolstered tourism to various destinations around the world, too.
Most K-drama showrunners choose to film in South Korea, and the popularity of Korean culture, K-dramas, K-pop, and movies, also known as the Korean Wave, has gone global in recent years. Korean production companies have now expanded their search for filming locations by scouting destinations beyond South Korea’s borders. Not surprisingly, Korean dramas have sparked fans' wanderlust to visit the places featured in their favorite shows.
Asian set-jetters travel to Switzerland
Korean TV series and the real locations used as dramatic backdrops have had an unexpected and positive impact on specific destinations and their economies, including local businesses. Vitali Raietskyi, who works for the tour company called Open Up Swiss, never really watched Korean dramas in the past. She says, “Tourists gave us the idea for a tour.”
When tourism resumed in Switzerland post-pandemic, she noticed an increase in Asian tourists, who were traveling to Switzerland destinations—such as Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Iseltwald—because of the Korean TV show, Crash Landing on You, released before the pandemic.
“I watched all 16 episodes,” says Raietskyi, sparked by the new wave of set-jetting tourists. “We launched a signature day tour to the most iconic places of the [show] in Switzerland.” The tour quickly became one of the company’s most popular day tours. K-drama fans from Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines still book the tour to this day. Tourists can see the Swiss Alps and other popular sights—such as the Sigriswil Panorama Bridge and Lake Brienz—that provided the backdrop for the unlikely onscreen romance between a South Korean heiress and a North Korean soldier.
Carmen Fuchs, Sales Manager of Jungfrau Railways, says that there has been “an increase in interest from South Korea and other markets influenced by K-drama culture” to visit Switzerland. More specifically, Fuchs says these visitors have been requesting information or taking photos at specific filming sites, such as the Kleine Scheidegg area, Jungfraujoch, and Grindelwald. The series shows the couple touring Jungfraujoch (nicknamed Top of Europe). This popular tourist destination is home to the highest railway station in Europe, and other attractions like the Sphinx Observatory and the Ice Palace. Adventurous fans can go paragliding like the female character Yoon Se-ri, who lands with Grindelwald-First as the backdrop for her reunion with Ri Jeong Hyeok, also the end scene for the series finale.
(This legendary railway traverses the stunning Swiss Alps)
Teleport to Québec City, Canada
After the release of the K-drama Goblin, “The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac saw a 500 percent increase in Korean guest bookings and even launched a ‘Goblin Package,” says Anna Lee, president of AL Marketing & Communications, which handles the marketing for Destination Canada in South Korea.
Actor Gong Yoo plays an immortal goblin (dokkaebi in Korean folklore) who teleports between South Korea and Québec City, where he purchases a hotel, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. The magical character uses a red door as a portal to the city, located in the Petit-Champlain district, the oldest shopping district in North America. Quaint shops pepper the neighborhood like La Petite Cabane à Sucre de Québec, where you can sample maple taffy, a Québec specialty. Fans can take Breakneck Stairs, the oldest staircase in Québec City, up to Petit-Champlain or take a short scenic ride on a funicular.
The backdrop for this show’s drama prominently features Québec City sights, such as Pierre-Dugua-De Mons Terrace, which offers a view of the St. Lawrence River and Old Québec City, and Samuel-Holland Park in the Saint Sacrement neighborhood. Even if fans can’t check into the historic Château Frontenac, they should visit for the impressive views of Old Québec City.
(For a slice of Parisian charm without the crowds, consider Quebec City)
A honeymoon in Berlin and Potsdam, Germany
Singaporean blogger Nadia Lau watched the 2024 K-drama hit Queen of Tears like most fans. Six months after watching the show, she traveled to Germany to visit all the places the lead couple in the series went for their honeymoon. The show’s honeymoon scenes highlight the Old-World architecture found in Berlin and Potsdam, including the Berlin Cathedral and Potsdam’s Old Market Square.
The popularity of the show sparked Visit Berlin to publish a list of Queen of Tears filming locations on its website. Fans can follow the fairytale honeymoon route by taking a stroll along the banks of the Spree River, visiting the Neptune Fountain, and shopping for good-luck charms at Winterfeldtmarkt. The 18th-century, Rococo-style Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam—a 40-minute train ride from Berlin—is one of the most important locations highlighted in the show’s flashback scenes of the couple on the sandstone steps.
(Why you should visit Germany's Potsdam as an alternative to Versailles)
An augmented Alhambra in Granada, Spain
A departure from the typical Rom-com, Memories of the Alhambra centers around a hyper-realistic, augmented-reality game set in Granada, Spain. Part mystery, part Sci-Fi, this series follows the chance encounter between a CEO of a South Korean gaming company and a Korean hostel owner in Granada. Granada’s most famous attraction, Alhambra—a historic palace and fortress complex known for its Moorish architecture—is the real star of the K-drama. Fans may recall that the show’s promotional poster provides a bird’s-eye view of Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicolas.
The production crew shot part of the show in the Spanish city of Girona, and they also filmed in Slovenia, as a stand-in location for Granada. However, the beauty of Alhambra is present as the main character explores the famous site to complete his quest. The show also inspires viewers to visit the Nasrid Palaces of Alhambra, particularly the Court of the Lions, where the carvings and architecture make it one of the most striking elements of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
(How to spend the perfect day in Granada, home of Spain's Alhambra fortress)
Small-town charm beyond Pohang, South Korea
Of course, the ultimate destination for K-drama fans is still South Korea. The country’s slower-paced rural life has been in the spotlight recently with shows like Hometown Cha Cha Cha and When Camellia Blooms. Production companies filmed both shows in Pohang, an industrial city known for its steel manufacturing.
Quaint fishing villages—surrounding Pohang and also featured in the two series—capture rural life in a small, tight-knit community. Fans of the shows can visit the area to enjoy the laid-back culture and watch the fishermen in Seokbyeong-ri Village, swim at Wolpo Beach, and try the popular seafood dish, Mulhoe, a cold raw fish soup made with vegetables, spicy broth, and chili paste or chili sauce.
Check out murals dedicated to the two series in Cheongha-myeon. Some filming locations preserved the shows’ fictional sets, the signs and exteriors of the storefronts, allowing fans to revel in K-drama nostalgia.
(10 stunning UNESCO World Heritage sites that were immortalized on screen)
