South Korea has officially secured the top position in the global Screen Tourism Forecast Index for this year, achieving an impressive score of 87.6 out of 100. This prestigious ranking highlights a rapidly growing travel trend where international visitors choose their holiday destinations based on locations featured in popular films and television series. This year, the anticipated boom in South Korean tourism is heavily credited to the sustained global dominance of Korean cinema and the highly awaited release of the second season of the Netflix hit series “All of Us Are Dead.”
The Unstoppable Power of the Hallyu Wave
The concept of screen tourism, or “set-jetting,” has transitioned from a niche travel style to a central pillar of the global tourism economy. South Korea has become the primary beneficiary of this phenomenon. Between April 2025 and March 2026, South Korean content generated a staggering 12.1 billion hours of viewing on Netflix worldwide, making it the most-watched content origin outside of the United States.
This digital viewership is directly translating into physical travel. In the first quarter of this year alone, South Korea welcomed a record-breaking 4.74 million foreign tourists, representing a massive 22.6 percent year-over-year growth. Platforms like Netflix have essentially become a global super-highway for Korean cultural exports, heavily influencing international flight bookings and hotel reservations. Recent data reveals that global streaming hits can lift flight bookings to South Korea by as much as 146 percent in specific European markets within weeks of a show’s premiere.
Zombie Thrills Drive Real-World Travel
A significant driver for the current tourism forecast is the impending arrival of “All of Us Are Dead” Season 2. Following the massive success of its first season, which captivated audiences with its intense high school zombie apocalypse narrative, the sequel has generated immense global speculation and excitement. Expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027, the show is already influencing international travel itineraries.
Successful streaming shows consistently drive significant and sustained increases in visitor numbers to their featured filming locations long after their initial release. Fans are eager to step into the worlds they have seen on screen, seeking out specific neighborhoods, schools, and urban landscapes that served as backdrops for their favorite characters. Digital travel platforms have noted triple-digit spikes in accommodation searches for regional areas featured in major K-dramas, proving that the geographic footprint of screen tourism extends well beyond the capital city of Seoul.
Economic Impact and Future Outlook
The economic potential of film-induced travel is monumental. The South Korean government and local tourism boards are actively leveraging this momentum, shifting their focus toward sustainable, quality-driven growth. With inbound arrivals projected to reach close to 20 million by the end of this year, authorities are rolling out initiatives to distribute the tourist influx across various provinces. This intelligent decongestion strategy aims to ease the burden on heavily trafficked urban areas while simultaneously boosting regional economies.
The strategy aims to transform the country’s tourism industry into a structural powerhouse, aligning with the national goal of attracting 30 million foreign tourists annually by 2030. Both public and private sectors are increasingly treating the nation’s vast K-content library as a tangible tourism asset. By creating specialized tour packages, interactive museum exhibits, and multilingual infrastructure around famous filming sites, South Korea is ensuring that the immediate surge in visitors evolves into a long-term, sustainable economic engine. As audiences worldwide continue to consume Korean entertainment, the bridge between the screen and the destination will only grow stronger, solidifying South Korea’s position as the premier cultural travel hub of the decade.
