Hello. This is Realworld, a playable content platform. We often imagine leaving our daily lives behind and taking a spontaneous trip. In particular, our longing and yearning for unfamiliar places often leads to overseas travel. According to statistics from the Korea Tourism Knowledge & Information System, the number of overseas tourists departing Korea in 2024 was 28,686,435, showing a recovery to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels of 2019. This represents a continuous upward trend since 2021.
Why do we travel? I believe it's to experience 'something special that exists only there.' Just like going to Greece to see the Parthenon, or visiting Hawaii to experience beautiful beaches. However, the traditional tourism industry based on natural environments and cultural heritage is now shifting toward experience-centered tourism. This is the transition to what's called ESC (Entertainment, Sports, Culture) tourism.
The Rise of ESC Tourism
According to 'The Power of Play: 5 Key Trends Shaping the Future of Tourism' report released by tourism industry research firm Skift in November 2024, younger generations tend to pursue ESC tourism. Millennials strive to stand out by seeking unique experiences rather than following the crowd. 70% of American millennial and Gen Z travelers seek travel experiences unfamiliar to their family and friends. In China, this ratio reached 90%.
Additionally, according to Skift's survey, 86% of travelers worldwide agreed that participating in entertainment, sports, and cultural experiences during travel is important for overall happiness and well-being, and this figure increased to about 90% among millennial and Gen Z travelers.
The Core Keyword of ESC Tourism: Play
The core keyword in ESC tourism is 'Play.' This report defines play as a means for travelers to break away from their daily routines, enjoy new activities, and participate in authentic and enriching experiences with personal meaning. This means that hands-on experiences that stimulate all five senses have become important in travel, and the related industry is moving quickly to adapt.
Visit California has been running a brand campaign called 'Ultimate Playground' since 2024. They're repositioning California, a destination that can be enjoyed by everyone from children to adults, not as a simple travel destination but as a place for play, emphasizing that it's a place where genuine play is possible for all ages and audiences through oceans and nature, hiking, road trips, wineries, theme parks, and more.
There's a city worth noting: Qiddiya, a planned city in Saudi Arabia. This project covers 360km², 124 times the size of Yeouido, with a project cost of $70 billion (approximately 100 trillion won). The Qiddiya project is part of Saudi Arabia's national plan 'Saudi Vision 2030' to reduce dependence on oil resources and diversify the economic structure. This plan, led by Crown Prince Bin Salman who is familiar to us, also includes the development of new cities such as NEOM and New Murabba.
Qiddiya is a city specialized in play. Just looking at their website, the word 'play' is used everywhere, showing the ambition to turn the city itself into a tourism product by focusing on ESC (entertainment, sports, and culture) facilities throughout the city. According to the business plan, they will host over 400 attractions, including theme parks, motor sports tracks, stadiums for operating the 2034 World Cup, and gaming and esports zones. When completed, it will truly be a city designed for play.
Tourism Experiences Are Changing
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, South Korea ranked 14th out of 119 evaluated countries in the 2023 World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Development Index. This seems like quite a high ranking, and as a tourism powerhouse, we must continue our efforts to develop new tourism resources.
The emergence of play-centered ESC tourism shows the transformation of the traditional tourism industry that relied on natural environments and cultural heritage. Of course, scenic attractions and cultural assets left by our ancestors are good tourism products, but shouldn't we develop them so that travelers can experience them with greater immersion? The definition of 'something special that exists only there' can change with the times. Realworld will continue to work toward making travel experiences more playable. Thank you.