Hit TV shows driving rise in visits to South Korea

The tourism industry is expecting a big rise in the number of Hong Kong travellers flocking to South Korea for the summer holidays this year.

Besides Hongkongers' seemingly insatiable appetite for Korean television series - including the latest hit - political instability in Thailand is also expected to channel travellers to the country, as well as to Japan and Taiwan, says Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung.

And that combination of factors will contribute to a 20 per cent rise on last year in the number of Hongkongers holidaying in Korea, Tung said.

Japan and Taiwan will see a similar rise in visitor numbers, he said.

The projection is backed up by numbers from South Korea's tourism board, which said 55,795 Hong Kong travellers had visited the country in April - an 83.5 per cent rise from the same period last year.

"Many people are eager to visit the scenes of their favourite Korean series," Tung said.

South Korea is attractive for holidaymakers looking to take a short break due to its close proximity to Hong Kong and its lower prices compared to Japan, Tung said.