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Becoming a K-pop star for a day with Airbnb
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As Korean culture gains popularity around the world, Airbnb has launched a new K-wave Trip section -- a chance for tourists to take part in K-pop or K-beauty activities. (Shutterstock/Boontoom Sae-Kor)
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s Korean culture gains popularity around the world, Airbnb has launched a new K-wave Trip section -- a chance for tourists to take part in K-pop or K-beauty activities.
The global house-sharing platform held a press event Friday in the Itaewon area of central Seoul, inviting reporters to a class on how to make a vegan bath scrub, registered as a K-beauty trip under Airbnb.
“On Airbnb, we have always seen the want for local, authentic experiences. As the K-wave has proved itself to be more than a passing trend, we have launched the K-wave Trip section,” Hong Jong-hee, who is in charge of public relations, said at the event.
According to the press release, Airbnb is focusing on the rapidly developing Hallyu trend, which has seen K-pop musicians topping the Billboard charts and participating in global music festivals, and Korean beauty brands leading makeup trends in the international market.
“We always promote the idea of living like a local. But to live like a local, there has to be more than just staying at locals’ homes. We have to meet the locals and engage in what they are interested in,” Hong said. “Airbnb Trips have been growing at a fast rate, compared with the growth of the house-sharing service.
Read also: Where to spot BTS and other K-pop stars in Seoul?
“When a host applies to host a trip, we evaluate the request based on three criteria: the host’s expertise, the uniqueness of the place and how much participants can get involved in the activity,” Hong said. “Only 50 percent of trips pass the evaluation and make the list.”
The K-pop Trip list currently has around 30 activities, including K-pop dancing and recording classes. Some of the classes even allow participants to create and keep music video clips of themselves.
K-beauty activities are available too, from makeup classes to vegan beauty product making classes. There are currently nine classes listed under the K-beauty category.
To find out more about K-wave activities, check Airbnb’s website and mobile app.
This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
