Tourism That Lasts: How Cities In Northeast Asia Create Emotional Impact And Traveler Loyalty

In the post-pandemic travel boom, global tourists are no longer just looking for “places to go”—they’re seeking experiences to remember. Cities across Northeast Asia—home to some of the world’s most visited destinations—are increasingly recognizing that memorable tourism doesn’t come from quantity alone, but from the quality, emotion, and identity behind each experience.

A groundbreaking study from Yanolja Research dives deep into this topic, using TripAdvisor’s massive database of 12.46 million tourism listings and 31.1 million reviews to understand how eight major cities in the region are performing in the eyes of international travelers.

The results are both revealing and inspiring.

🧭 The Study: How TripAdvisor Became a Global Compass

Rather than using traditional stats like visitor count or spending, the study examined TripAdvisor’s "Things to Do" category, focusing on the cities of:

• South Korea: Seoul, Busan

• Japan: Tokyo, Osaka

• China: Beijing, Shanghai

• Taiwan: Taipei, Kaohsiung

By applying BERTopic, an advanced AI-powered topic modeling algorithm, researchers categorized thousands of tourism products into themes like:

• 🏯 Traditional Culture

• 🏞️ Outskirts Tours

• 🍜 Local Cuisine

• 🏙️ City Tours & Landmarks

• 🎭 Cultural Experiences

• 🚐 Transportation Services

They then analyzed key metrics like product price, review count, and ratings to gauge both market strategy and consumer satisfaction.

🔍 Key Insight