In The News

Roll Over, Godzilla: Korea Rules

Norimitsu Onishi June 28, 2005
Celebrities, television shows, movies, music and other cultural products from South Korea are exploding in popularity across East Asia. As a result, the country has witnessed an upsurge in tourism and trade, as well as a cachet of being “cool.” This newfound soft power stems from past South Korean government decisions to nurture and protect its own cultural industries against infiltration from...

Unlikely Hero in Europe's Spat: The 'Polish Plumber'

Elaine Sciolino June 27, 2005
Responding to the recent flood of bad publicity about the potential loss of French jobs to Polish immigrants, Poland has come up with a marketing plan to improve its reputation in France. Hiring a model to pose as a "Polish plumber" – a figure who has come to symbolize French labor concerns – in its advertisements, the Polish Tourism Bureau is attempting to assure the French that the...

Rising Dragon and the American Eagle – Part I

David Shambaugh April 20, 2005
Recent developments – including the high-profile visit by China's premier Wen Jiabao to South Asia – showing the rising profile of China have intensified a long-running debate in Washington. How does the growing power and influence of China affect the dominance that the United States has so far enjoyed in Asia? In the first of our two-part series, George Washington University's China...

Confucius Says: It's Time to Learn Mandarin

Hamish McDonald March 7, 2005
As China continues its ascent as a global power, the demand for Chinese-language speakers has, indeed, increased. In response to – and perhaps to reinforce –these needs, China has launched an international initiative to boost language proficiency. Dubbed the Confucius Institutes, over 100 Chinese language learning centers are planned to open in cities worldwide. As with many Chinese global...

Asia-Pacific Travel Set for Strong Growth in 2005

Ven Sreenivasan February 16, 2005
High fuel prices, the avian flu, and Indian Ocean tsunami disasters don't seem to have negatively affected Asia's tourist industry, says a report issued by a major ticketing and distribution company. In fact, "the trials of the past few years had taught the industry to better manage crises." The 40 percent growth rate in Asia's tourism is the fastest of any region in the...

Everybody's a Winner

Tarek Atia February 9, 2005
The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is one of the world's largest celebrations of the culture of consumerism. From the airport to the glitzy "Global Village" outpost, the festival, with its elaborate marketing ploys and promotions, is weaving a shopping ethos into the fabric of the city. Ten years after the first DSF was held, Dubai has undergone a huge construction boom, luring...

North Koreans Eager to Cash in on Tourism

Joo Sang Min December 7, 2004
At the tourist resort Mount Kumgang near the South and North Korean border, South Koreans' consumerism is slowly changing their northern neighbors. North Korean military forces are a common sight at the resort, but here, their main job is to blaze roads for tour buses, and create photo-ops for South Korean tourists. Increasingly, North Koreans are finding it hard to resist the lure of hard...