The Disneyization of society argues that the contemporary world is increaseingly displaying characteristics of the Disney theme parks.
Seoul certainly shows a significant exposure to the Disney concept by having theme amusement parks, welcoming luxury brands into the malls and the service standards in Seoul have somewhat been standardised.
Disneyization is portrayed as a globalising force in other words the principles with which is it associated are gradually spreading throughout the globe. Disneyization has several dimension it it, that is theming, hybrid consumptuon,merchandising and performative labour.
In Seoul, there are four major amusement parks. These are
Children Grand Park- A large park having zoo within its perimeters. It targets mostly the children as there are play areas dedicated for them before throughout the entire park.
Dreamland- Home to rollercoaster rides, water park and amusement rides within the urban settings of Seoul
Lotte World- An all-in-one concept building having shopping. sports and activities elements into it. There is an indoor ice-skating rink which in open year round nad an indoor amusement park one level right above the rink. The monorail within its vicinity connects to another amusement island called the Magic Island which offers a range of leisure and recreation activities from indoor swimmming pools to movie theaters.
Everland- Within the reach of Seoul, Everland promises wonderful themed surrounds such as the Carribean Bay. Each area has specific attractions and F&B outlets.
Other than these four major amusement attractions, Seoul has more to offer!
Seoul Grand Park- Located to the south of Gangnam area, visitors can have a trip to its two great zoos. There is the children's petting zoo and a larger zoo that is compared to as bigger as better from Children's Grand Park. The Seoul Land Amusement Park is also located here
Seoul Land- Offers theme areas with its own unique characteristics and focus differentiating the different areas. Festivals are also held within the area and visitors can find seasonal facilities such as summer outdoor swimming pool and winter sledding slop. Laser shows and fireworks are also held there.
With all these theme amusement centres in a single location, Seoul, one can't help to wonder that Seoul is dedicating its land to cater to such Disney themes. Although each and every attractions has its winning factor against all others, I feel that the concept itself is the same and that Seoul is exploring more and more into theme parks and zoos. Seoul may be caught over-introducing such themes which may overshadow its cultural elements.
Seoul also has welcomed luxury brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Gucci and Dior into its shopping malls. As claimed by
Asia Finest Discussion Forum members, these luxury brand providers have increassed their retail price.
Some worry that young girls may go into debt due to the craze and interest into such brands. Some also expresses their anger that the Koreans should support their own local production instead of getting sucked into the delusion of these brands. However, some debate that having higher prices might deter such support and may lead to support to own local productions and better local competitiveness and economy.
In the hospitality sector, one can find reknown hotel brands set up in the midst of Seoul's urban concept. Such hotel brands include the Mariott and Starwood. Not only that these brands bring about high-class accomodation, it also brings in standardised service that can be found elsewhere in their other franchises. This include the unique local greeting when meeting guests and also set of standardised procedures such as smiling constantly.
The common disney elements found are also Starbucks and Mcdonalds. Although there are Korean elements incorporated to them such as the bulgogi curger served in Mcdonalds, these brands practically serve the same thing throughout the world and the servie standards are the same. On the other hand, having such Korean elements to these brands help promote their food culture to the world.
In summary, the introduction of such brands be it in the luxury shopping or in the hospitality sector has been brought about through gloablisation. Time and cost of moving commodities has allowed ease of entry for these brands to set up within Seoul. It is easier to enjoy these brands as the world is getting virtually smaller and that people and goods can get to places faster. Financial deregulation has allowed these brands to somewhat ease of access in terms of finance and that the brands get to enjoy the currency exchange brought about from froeign banks setting up also. Media & communication has also played its part by advertising these foreign brands to which some locals showing annoyance to their presence. In making Seoul a better tourist attractions, Seoul has outsourced all these brands. There are also various modes of transportation from buses to trems for people to get around.
Is this all bad? I certainly feel not. Locals get to enjoy the positivity of globalisation. They get to enjoy facilities created for tourism and get to exchange culture. be it from the tourist's or the local's perpectives. There are also signs of cultural preservation towards Seoul heritage sites as sustainable tourism drives its tourism industry. Indirectly, the local feel responsible in maintaining these sites and be proud that tourists actually come to understand and apprecite their culture.
I feel that tourism has been the culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions to a certain extent. Festivals are conducted all year round to reduce seasonality vulnerability and that the Seoul Tourism Organization, in a way is exploiting the needs and wants of their potential inbound and domestic tourists. Authentic rituals and celebrations are extended by a day or two with some timings accomodate the peak periods to ensure optimum attendance. Art festivals such as the Korean Performing Art Festivals are also held to sort of "sell the korean cultures" to foreigners which actually are not part of their authentic showcase of culture. Although this is beneficial in terms of tourism receipts, I feel that the government has to balance foreigner's and local's elements within Seoul so that Seoul can get to enjoy the best of both worlds.
