Korea Tourism Organization hits 225 Million Views with Tourism Clips

The video, released on Oct. 24 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), had been viewed an estimated 225.3 million times as of Nov. 30 at 5:00 p.m.

“What if [Vincent Van Gogh] Visited Korea,” the first tourism promotional clip for Korea generated through generative AI, garnered the most views (49.88 million) among the five clips. The video garnered acclaim for its innovative approach in depicting Korea’s most emblematic tourism destinations in the manner of eleven renowned painters (Van Gogh, Munch, Monet, among others).

Creating the clip required six months and implementing cutting-edge digital technologies, including training the generative AI over eighty thousand times per piece to render it more authentic to each painter’s style.

Additionally, three tourism promotional videos at the local level draw inspiration from international K-contents: “Live Squid Game,” which showcases a squid-catching activity taking place on Ulleungdo Island; “Queendom: Korean Archery,” which depicts a chase game conducted at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress; and “Guardian’s Fireworks,” which portrays the picturesque and romantic setting of Haman Nakhwanori. These videos were produced so that tourists could experience the distinctive and alluring aspects of tourism in each region.

Based on the touching true tale of the Campagna couple who meticulously cared for Korean tourists stranded in the United States during a winter snowstorm, the final clip, “Korea Never Forgets,” was produced. Documentary in nature, it chronicles the Campagnas’ journey to Korea and conveys the heartfelt adage, “Korea never forgets gratitude.”

The official YouTube channel of KTO, which features the five Korea tourism promotional films , provides access to these clips. Furthermore, the proliferation of promotional videos for Korea tourism has resulted in an unprecedented surge in the subscriber count of KTO on YouTube, which has surpassed 150,000 since the previous year and now stands at 820,000.

It maintains the most significant number of subscribers among all YouTube channels of national tourism organizations.