Abstract
The chapter focuses both on the relationship between tourism and the new generations (Millennials in particular) and on the connection between Millennials and the sharing economy. More specifically, the chapter explores the case of South Korean Millennials by analysing the project ‘Sharing City, Seoul’. This project, launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2012, is boosting social innovation and promoting local sharing entrepreneurship, also in the tourism sector, with specific regard to Korean Millennials. The case is investigated through a mixed-methods approach, confirming (1) the high involvement of Korean Millennials in the local process of innovation, especially in terms of entrepreneurship, and (2) the importance of a generational perspective for the future growth of the tourist market. The relationship between Millennials and tourism, apart from few exceptions, is still underexplored. However, the understanding of the future tourism trends cannot miss a generational perspective. In order to ensure strong future growth prospects for tourism (in Asia and beyond), the tourism industry has to better understand peculiarities and expectations of the Millennial generation.
The introduction was written by Elisabetta Ruspini, Sects 11.2 and 11.5 by Monica Bernardi and Elisabetta Ruspini and Sects. 11.3, 11.4, 11.6 and 11.7 by Monica Bernardi (who conducted the fieldwork in Seoul). The concluding section was jointly written by the two authors.
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Notes
- 1.
Data are available here: https://www.destinationcanada.com/sites/default/files/2016-11/Programs_MillennialTravel_DomesticReport_EN.pdf; and here: https:/info.advertising.expedia.com/european-traveller-multi-generational-travel-trends (Accessed May 2017).
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
The retirement age increased to 60 in 2017 from 55 in 2016 for both men and women (https://tradingeconomics.com/south-korea/retirement-age-men, accessed June 2017). Moreover, according to OECD data (OECD 2017), life expectancy at birth is rapidly increasing as well: 75,4 years for men and 82,1 for women (total population: 78,8) in 2006 and 79 years for men and 85,1 for women (total population: 82,1) in 2016.
- 5.
There are some connections with the US ‘boomerang generation’ whose members choose to live with their parents after previously living on their own and postpone marriage and family because of economic difficulties. The Korean ‘give-up generation’ is also comparable to the Japanese ‘Satori generation’ (Kelts 2014) and in Europe to the ‘1000 euros generation’ in Italy (Incorvaia and Rimassa 2013) and the ‘700 euros generation’ in Greece (Gouglas 2013).
- 6.
Joseon is the historical name for South Korea.
- 7.
Data from the World Population Review 2017 ‘Seoul Population 2017’; available at the address: http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/seoul-population/ (accessed June 2017).
- 8.
The average connection speed in Seoul is 28.6 Mbps, while the global average is 7 Mbps.
- 9.
Data from the World Population Review 2017 ‘Seoul Population 2017’.
- 10.
‘Seoul Metropolitan City Sharing Promotion Ordinance’, ‘Seoul Metropolitan Government Act for Promoting Sharing’.
- 11.
Social Innovation Division, ShareHub – online platform, Sharing Promotion Committee, Sharing Facilitation Committee, Sharing Economy Advisory Board. For more details see: Bernardi and Diamantini (2016).
- 12.
See slogans such as ‘citizens are the mayor’ and ‘making Seoul a city for the citizens and by the citizens’.
- 13.
Such as Book Reading Subway, Sharing Imagining workshop, Invigorating Sharing Economy, Sharing Seoul City Fair, etc.
- 14.
For more details, see http://english.sharehub.kr.
- 15.
- 16.
See websites such as www.collaborativeconsumption.com; www.shareable.net; crowdcompanies.com.
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Bernardi, M., Ruspini, E. (2018). ‘Sharing Tourism Economy’ Among Millennials in South Korea. In: Wang, Y., Shakeela, A., Kwek, A., Khoo-Lattimore, C. (eds) Managing Asian Destinations. Perspectives on Asian Tourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8426-3_11
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