“Sharing Tourism Economy” among Millennials in South Korea

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.