by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:15 AM ET, Tue October 26, 2021
If you're not already familiar with the "Korean Wave," you might've experienced it via the news, on social media or even on Netflix, where the South Korean show "Squid Game" has become the top trending show in dozens of countries across the globe, surpassing any English-speaking show as it reached 111 million viewers in less than its first month.
South Korea in itself is a trendy destination.
Seoul, its capital and largest city, is the sixth top-trending city on Instagram, while it rates as the second most-watched city on TikTok.
Why?
Because it's a metropolis that's not overwhelming like other large cities can be. Instead, fans of Korean dramas, K-pop groups like BTS or followers of South Korean influencers can learn about the city's walkable boulevards, its cherry blossom-lined avenues, its ancient temples and its love for trendy foods and comfy-chic clothing. Remember dalgona coffee? That's South Korean!
In a period of two very difficult years when most people, especially the younger generations, were stuck at home without a chance to travel, South Korea popped up on many of their social media feeds, Netflix recommendations and Spotify playlists and offered them a new escape to a destination they'd barely known about before.
It's also caused a lot more Americans to begin learning Korean.
Language-learning app Memrise has seen a 22 percent increase in Americans and a 94 percent increase in Brits signing up to learn the language, and to celebrate, they're giving everyone one month of free Korean lessons when they sign up by November 1.
So what does this mean for travel advisors?
The Travel Agent Academy has published a course to become a Korea Travel Specialist, which teaches advisors about the culture and popular destinations like Seoul, Jeju Island, Busan and more. Benefits include the title of being a Korea Travel Specialist, as well as invitations to vacations, free promotional materials and more.
If you are a travel advisor who works with a lot of millennials or younger people, consider signing up for the specialist program. It'll prepare you for the wave of people who've just discovered their next bucket-list destination in South Korea.
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