Ryan Bridge: We need more than agriculture to be successful

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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7d ago 2:00

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There’s nothing quite like watching a well-thought-out strategy come together and work.

And hats off to South Korea this morning — they’re absolutely smashing it when it comes to tourism.

The government set a goal: 30 million visitors a year by 2030.

In 2005, they had 6 million.

Last year? 16 million.

This year: they’re on track to hit 20 million.

This isn’t happening by chance — it’s happening by design.

Government and business have come together and gone all in on infrastructure and law changes.

They’re extending an electronic visa-free travel pass.

By the start of next year, they’ll have integrated ticketing for all public transport. You’ll use the same pass for major tourist attractions.

Imagine catching the Waiheke ferry and doing the luge — all on one pass.

There’s a big push on regional tourism.

But their secret sauce? A cultural takeover of movies, TV shows, and music.

That’s another industry they’ve invested in heavily — and now it’s paying dividends we could only dream of.

We know this works — just look at Lord of the Rings.

Almost 400 million people around the world have watched a show called K-pop Demon Hunters. It’s Netflix’s most-watched show. Ever.

And now every kid is begging their parents to take them to South Korea.

This isn’t about complaining or saying we should be doing better.

Our government has — or is at least trying to — pull together similar schemes here.

This is simply to say: what an impressive operation. Watching the Koreans plan, execute, and get results is inspiring.

It’s something that should excite us. The Saudis are going big on gaming. The Irish rolled out the red carpet for big tech. Captain Judith Collins this week reckons our next big thing should be space.

We’re world leaders in agriculture. So what do you want to add to that list — and how can we follow South Korea’s lead and make a plan to get there?

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