At 6 p.m. on the 9th at the outdoor stage of the Sono Delphino Resort in Goseong, Gangwon Province. As the MC introduced him and trot singer Jang Min-ho took the stage, cheers erupted from across the audience. Middle-aged audience members wearing mint and white windbreakers, the colors symbolizing Jang Min-ho's fan club, stood and sang along when his signature song "Ring the pungsak!" rang out, and waved handkerchiefs reading "Min-ho special forces" left and right to the beat.
Singer Roy Kim, who took the stage before Jang Min-ho, also set the tone with songs that matched the warm spring weather. During the performance of his signature song "Bom Bom Bom," the audience sang along in unison. Because many parents and children came together for the Parents' Day holiday, the venue carried the feel of a family travel destination, unlike a typical concert hall.
The stage that day was arranged as part of the "Concert Pack," a product Hereo was introducing by combining travel and performance. Concert Pack is a travel product that offers a special concert viewing opportunity and lodging together to customers selected through a separate drawing. Rather than simply booking a room, it features small-scale performances and local experiences that can be enjoyed only at specific destinations.
Hereo has held Concert Pack once or twice each spring and fall since launching the Jeju Seopjikoji edition in 2022. It has since expanded the stage to major domestic travel destinations such as Gyeongju, Pyeongchang, Sokcho, Buyeo, Daejeon, and Wonju, as well as Osaka, Japan. Each edition is planned by combining the most appealing destination, lodging, and artists for that time.
This Goseong edition, the ninth Concert Pack event, put forward a "filial piety trip" concept tailored to the Parents' Day season so parents and children could enjoy it together. To that end, it booked Jang Min-ho, who has a fandom among those in their 50s and 60s, and Roy Kim, familiar to those in their 20s and 30s. Broadcaster Kim Young-hee, active as the "Malja Granny" character, served as a special MC and also ran a family counseling segment.
Concert Pack Goseong recruited participants by drawing a total of 350 people, and about 10,000 applied. Customers pay an application expense of 1,000 won and submit their reasons for wanting to join the Concert Pack, and Hereo selects the winners. The application expense is refunded after the winners are announced. The company said it set a minimal participation barrier to select customers who genuinely intend to travel, rather than simply inflating applicant numbers.
A female audience member whose story was chosen as one of the best at the concert said, "As soon as I heard I won the Concert Pack, I postponed my scheduled ankle ligament rupture surgery," and added, "I lined up early to come with my mother, who is a Jang Min-ho fan, and I was first in line to enter today's show." Another woman in her 50s said, "At the thought of seeing Jang Min-ho, I drove five hours from Busan without even stopping at a rest area," and added, "Thinking about going back tomorrow after the show is already a worry."
Hereo's Concert Pack focuses on corporate branding rather than short-term revenue generation. As more sponsors participate with each edition, it is minimizing the burden of operating expense. The product price is also set below the break-even point. The price of this Concert Pack Goseong was 499,000 won, including a two-night accommodation voucher, breakfast benefits, and various discounts on amenities.
Kim Yong-kyung, Hereo's brand head, said, "In a situation where ad-avoidance environments such as YouTube Premium are expanding, simple ad campaigns have limits in delivering brand messages and stimulating customers' travel psychology," and added, "Concert Pack is the content that best embodies Hereo's brand slogan, 'So that amazing experiences never stop in life.'"
Concert Pack is also functioning as a gateway for new customer inflow. Kim, the Deputy Minister, said, "Each time we recruit for Concert Pack, 20% of applicants are first-time users of Hereo," and added, "Data also shows that newly attracted users continue to use Hereo's services."
This year, in addition to Concert Pack, Hereo plans to expand its original content and its own IP (intellectual property) content. The "Bucket Pack," a bucket-list-style travel product, will run four times this year. In addition to a Chungju trip with former Chungju City Assistant Deputy Director Kim Seon-tae, Bucket Packs with celebrities are also being prepared for June and August. Through "Ttae Ttae Ttae," Hereo's directly operated YouTube channel, it also plans to unveil new video content such as "72-hour blind date" and "How to travel without leave."
This summer's peak-season campaign will focus on domestic destinations rather than overseas, considering international conditions. Kim, the Deputy Minister, said, "We aim to spotlight domestic destinations not just as vacation spots but as places imbued with history and meaning," and added, "If you look at familiar places from new angles and perspectives, it can spark the desire to travel."
Hereo plans to continue to lead with its own content to broaden points of contact with customers. Kim, the Deputy Minister, said, "We want to become a brand that, beyond a simple booking platform, gives customers reasons to travel," and added, "Our goal is to make the Hereo brand the first thing that comes to mind when people think of travel."