Nowadays, our lives are back in motion, especially since Covid-19 ended. Students have returned to their schools, office workers do not stay home for a long time, and, more importantly, the Tourism industry has revived after being staggered for years. We can clearly see this from the statistics. In South Korea, from January to November, the cumulative number of foreign visitors reached 9.9 million, almost a remarkable 300% increase. South Korea is reaping the benefits of this increase, with 49,000 new jobs forecasted to be created in the next decade. So, when Tourists come to South Korea, what do they seek? Most importantly, the food.

Many foreigners coming to Korea naturally seek out delicious food. Thus, the tourism industry has directly affected recent food trends in Korea. For example, Creatrip, a South Korean tourism service, announced that Korean-style fried chicken was the most popular Korean food for overseas tourists. But the fried chickens they were trying out were not the standard fried chickens. Instead, many tourists went to Kyochon Pilbang, an Itaewon-based chicken restaurant, to taste the omakase-style fried chicken. More importantly, it has been found that based on the ethnicities of the tourists, some foods were noticeably more popular than others.

One example of those foods was "Ganjang Gejang," or raw crab marinated in soy sauce. According to Creatrip, this marinated crab comprised more than 85 percent of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong tourists' who tried to taste this food. Further, some foods appealed more to people from certain countries.

For example, Chinese tourists frequently opt for grilled meat and 'bunsik,' a variety of Korean street foods such as kimbap,  tteokbokki, ramyeon, and more. In contrast, Japanese travelers chose to experience "hanjeongsik," a traditional Korean course meal with various side dishes like kimchi.

Ultimately, there is a startling correlation between Tourism and the changing food trends. Depending on the food the foreigners seek, our food might also change! For example, the omakase-style fried chicken favored by foreigners might eventually become a common dish on our dinner tables. Tourists bring diversity to our culture and are indispensable for the economic prosperity of South Korea

#Foodtrends #South Korea #Tourism