GEOJE — The "Geoje Yaho" meme popularized by girl group RISENNE has translated into more visitors and higher spending in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. Visitors in their teens and 20s during this summer's holiday season rose 6.6% from a year earlier, and card sales around Deokpo Beach, which RISENNE visited, jumped 134.4%.
The city of Geoje said on the 16th that online interest in Geoje and visits by younger generations both increased after the "Geoje Yaho" meme spread, based on an analysis of online posts, SK Telecom mobility and inbound population data, and NH Nonghyup Card sales data conducted through the Gyeongnam Big Data Center at the Gyeongnam Institute.
The meme began in March with an ad-lib — "Geoje Yaho!" — by Japanese member Minami on the personal YouTube channel of RISENNE member Wonyi. As the phrase spread through short-form video and social media, it led in May to the web variety show "Gyaru and Geoje," in which Wonyi and Minami travel around Geoje. The city appointed RISENNE as official tourism ambassadors in May.
The online interest showed up in the numbers. The share of tourism- and travel-related words in portal searches for Geoje rose to 27.7% in August, when the meme spread, from 16.6% in March. Tourism-related words appeared alongside 40.1% of posts mentioning RISENNE. The share of shipbuilding- and industry-related words, by contrast, edged down. The center said interest generated by "Geoje Yaho" had expanded beyond entertainment and content into local tourism and travel.
Visitor indicators moved in step. An analysis of SK Telecom mobility and inbound population data showed that out-of-town visitors in their teens and 20s rose 6.6% from a year earlier between July 25 and Aug. 10, this summer's holiday season. The number of towns and neighborhoods where such visitors increased widened to 12 from four, out of 18 administrative districts citywide. Okpo 2-dong, home to Deokpo Beach, rose 32.1%, and Jangseungpo-dong, site of Heungnam Evacuation Park, gained 29.4%. Among other regions, Gangwon State posted the largest increase at 12.5%, followed by Jeonbuk State at 9.4%, Ulsan at 8.5%, Seoul at 7.9% and Gyeonggi at 4.5%.
Spending patterns also shifted. While card sales across Geoje as a whole declined, individual card spending around Deokpo Beach during the holiday season rose 134.4% to 20.46 million won from 8.73 million won a year earlier. Spending near the Geoje Botanic Garden rose 24.7%, and near Maemiseong Wall 12.9%.
In a national city brand reputation survey conducted in August by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, Geoje ranked second nationwide after Seoul.
"RISENNE's 'Geoje Yaho' created a new way of looking at Geoje," a Geoje city official said. "We hope the virtuous cycle of city branding continues, in which interest that starts online leads to visits and experiences, and then spreads again into a new image and value for Geoje."
