We are in an era when a single K-pop song or one K-drama becomes the reason foreigners visit Korea. We will actively leverage Korea's diverse cultural heritage and focus on building a global travel ecosystem.
Chief Executive Lee Cheol-ung of NOL Universe said this at a press briefing on the 24th at Seoul Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Lee said, K-content is no longer marketing assets, but is taking hold as the starting point for shaping the flow of Korean tourism, and noted that, based on K-content consumption data held by Nol Universe Co, the company will push for a structural shift in inbound tourism—moving from content to tourism.
Nol Universe Co on the day published the 2025 NOL Wave Report (K-culture and Korean tourism), which analyzes the structure by which K-culture consumption leads to actual visits to Korea and extended stays. Based on big data from NOL World, a global platform for foreign tourists, the report provided a multidimensional view of how consumption of K-pop, K-dramas, and K-performances expands into visits to Korea and tourism spending.
According to Nol Universe Co, 1.66 million foreigners consumed K-content through NOL World over the past five years. NOL World's transaction amount recorded an average annual growth rate of 133%. Customer loyalty also rose, with the number of repurchases of two or more increasing about eightfold from 2021, and loyal customers who purchased five or more increasing 27-fold. This means K-content consumption is shifting from a one-off visit to Korea to repeatable tourism demand.
K-content consumption is expanding into lodging, transportation, and regional spending, generating tangible economic effects across the tourism industry. Based on Nol Universe Co's calculation of the economic ripple effects from foreign performance purchases via NOL World over the past five years, the production inducement effect is estimated at about 1.4 trillion won, the value-added inducement effect at about 600 billion won, and the employment inducement effect at about 8,200 people.
Foreigners' travel patterns in Korea are also shifting toward long-term stays. In a survey of NOL World users conducted by Nol Universe Co, 41% of respondents said the ideal length of stay when visiting Korea is "1–2 weeks." The share of foreigners who answered "one month or longer" also reached 19%.
Based on this trend, Nol Universe Co plans to pursue a border-less platform strategy that crosses national and category boundaries. Specifically, through the FLUX strategy—taking the first letters of ▲Feel Korea (content expansion and emotional experience) ▲Live Local (personalized itineraries by preference) ▲Ultra-immersion (differentiated experiences with exclusive products) ▲X-Factor (convenience services and technological innovation)—the goal is to provide foreigners with a fully immersive experience that lets them feel K-culture with all five senses.
Lee said, Nol Universe Co has created a structure in which K-culture expands into tourism and industry through the consolidation of content, data, and platforms, and added, We plan to continue contributing to the growth of Korean tourism into a sustainable industry with global competitiveness.