'Hinalchi' Hallyu Video Surpasses 300 Million Views... Innovation Recognized Overseas

Tourism Organization Selected as Best Viral Marketing Case in 2020 Tourism Innovation Awards

Photo by Korea Tourism Organization YouTube Channel Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Korea Tourism Organization has been recognized internationally for innovation due to the popularity of its promotional video based on the song by the fusion gugak group 'Inalchi Band'.

The Tourism Organization announced on the 2nd that it recently won the '2020 Tourism Innovation Awards' in the Digital Campaign category at the Tourism Innovation Summit held in Seville, Spain.

The Tourism Innovation Awards, given to organizations and tourism companies worldwide that apply innovative business models or technologies in the tourism sector, are judged across five categories: customer experience, artificial intelligence and data analytics, digital campaigns, sustainable tourism projects, and new business models.

Among these, the Digital Campaign category evaluates tourism promotions and brand awareness enhancement cases using digital technology and social media based on innovation, leadership, boldness, strategy, and execution, selecting winners through preliminary and final rounds.

The Tourism Organization was selected as the best viral marketing case in this category for its bold approach that elicited voluntary user participation. This was thanks to the promotional video 'Feel the Rhythm of Korea' produced by the organization, which gained great popularity worldwide. In particular, the 2020 Korea tourism overseas advertisement video, featuring the music of Inalchi Band combined with choreography by Ambiguous Dance Company (a contemporary dance group), has surpassed 300 million cumulative views recently across global platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Baidu.

Photo by Korea Tourism Organization YouTube Channel Capture

The video was first released at the end of July with three versions featuring Seoul, Busan, and Jeonju, followed by additional versions showcasing Andong, Gangneung, and Mokpo in October. The concept involves members of Ambiguous Dance Company performing captivating repetitive dances while moving through major tourist sites in each region, set to background music including Inalchi Band’s first album tracks like 'Beom Naeryeonda', 'Eoryudogam', and 'Jwau Najol'. It is attracting attention domestically and internationally as a successful example of new Hallyu content inspired by pansori. The total production cost for the three videos was about 200 million KRW, reportedly less than half the cost of producing a single promotional video featuring existing Hallyu stars, yet achieving significant impact.

Jang Yoo-hyun, head of the International Cooperation Team at the Tourism Organization, said, "Feel the Rhythm of Korea received very high praise not only for its boldness but also for bringing Korean culture closer during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel is restricted. We expect it to lead to inbound tourism demand in the post-COVID era."

Meanwhile, the Tourism Innovation Summit, which started this year, is supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).