By Kang Seung-woo
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has stepped up efforts to bring back Chinese tourists with the launch of a creative project focused on emotional marketing.
The project, titled “Seoul with Chinese creators,” is part of the city government's cultural marketing program that invites the most trendy and influential Chinese creators to propose a trip to Seoul. Through the project, Seoul seeks to produce and release content that can appeal to Chinese people.
The invited creators are a singer-songwriter, a chef, an emoji artist, a screenwriter, a digital comic writer, a photographer, a one-person media creator and a travel specialist.
The creators will be joined by the Zhengzhou TV broadcasting team from Henan Province in China that will shoot their journey to introduce the charms of a trip to Seoul to the Chinese people.
Chinese creators have plans to produce and release their content while they are still visiting.
For example, the digital comic writer, the travel specialist and one-person media creator plan to record and open to the public every day of their visit to Seoul through texts, digital comics and videos.
Also, the chef will be filming the process of reproducing the newly discovered taste of Seoul and introducing it to Chinese viewers.
They will be enjoying various activities and food during their stay in the city, and will be participating in various activities such as experiencing palaces in traditional hanbok, which is an activity that is gaining popularity for people of all ages, and visiting Seoul's attractions, such as Gwangjang Market, Gangnam, Namsan, as well as Haneul Park which is located by the Han River, the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain, a river cruise ship and the Bamdokkaebi night market.
The schedule also includes activities such as visits to Hongdae on Club Day, Itaewon rooftops and the alleys of Ikseon-dong, as well as playful programs such as “Horror Halloween” and kart racing.
The program also allows them to learn about the local government's main policies focused on “urban regeneration” that preserves the value of old tradition until the present.
They will visit Seoullo 2017, a sky garden for pedestrians which is built atop a former highway overpass, the Oil Tank Culture Park, a cultural complex that transformed shutdown oil tanks into a space for performances, exhibitions and dining, and Oraegagae, shops that have always remained in the same spot and have stories of their own.
“Starting with Seoul with the Chinese creators, we plan to introduce the city's outstanding tourist attractions to China, with creators from diverse areas who will reinvent them with unique Chinese sensibilities,” said Joo Yong-tae, director-general of Seoul's Tourism and Sports Bureau.