Abstract
The Korean Wave, known as Hallyu, has emerged as a significant transnational cultural phenomenon that reconfigures global cultural flows and consolidates South Korea’s position within the realm of soft power. This study examines the sociological implications of Hallyu in shaping Indian tourism to South Korea in the post-COVID era, with a focus on changes in the socio-demographic profile of travelers and their motivations. Utilizing secondary data from the Indian Ministry of Tourism, it identifies three significant trends: a resurgence of Indian tourist arrivals following pandemic disruptions, a predominance of younger and middle-aged individuals (ages 25-44) driving this mobility, and a shift in travel purposes from business-oriented to leisure tourism. These patterns highlight how South Korea’s cultural diplomacy, manifested through Hallyu, transforms cultural capital into embodied travel practices, while also revealing stratified access shaped by class, age, and digital infrastructure. Additionally, Hallyu generates consumerist desires and influences self-identity formation that extends beyond tourism into everyday practices, suggesting that it functions as a complex discursive apparatus that redefines identities, reshapes social imaginaries, and alters global hierarchies of cultural power
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Tourism and Leisure Industries
KEYWORDS
Korean Wave, Hallyu, Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power, Tourism
