Bacalar, Quintana Roo — The success of the Korean reality show Jinny’s Kitchen, filmed in Bacalar, has driven a surge in interest from Asian travelers, boosting what is known as location tourism, according to search trends from major Asian platforms.
The show featured well-known Korean music and television personalities running a street food restaurant along the iconic Laguna de los Siete Colores (Lagoon of Seven Colors), introducing millions of viewers to the beauty of this Magical Town, previously unfamiliar to many international tourists.
The impact began appearing online, with search platforms such as Naver, Baidu, and Yahoo! Japan reporting increased queries related to Bacalar, Quintana Roo, and the Mexican Caribbean.
Asian Travelers Seek Out Show Locations
In South Korea, Naver recorded a rise in travel blog activity about Quintana Roo, while in China, Baidu showed a growing trend in searches for flights, routes, and travel requirements to the Mexican Caribbean. Japanese users also increased their searches and location inquiries on Yahoo! Japan and Google, reflecting a growing desire to visit the settings featured in the production.
Bacalar and the Rise of Location Tourism
This phenomenon is part of the broader trend of location tourism, where fans of series, films, and TV shows seek to personally visit the places where their favorite productions were filmed. In Bacalar’s case, the appeal was strengthened by the participation of K-pop star V (BTS), actors Park Seo-jun and Choi Woo-shik, among other celebrities.
Asian travelers are eager to explore the same spaces seen on screen, take photos at the show’s locations, and recreate moments from their favorite artists. This turns audiovisual productions into a powerful tourism promotion tool, capable of opening new international markets and positioning emerging destinations for global audiences.
