Travel variety shows pouring… travel YouTubers Pani Bottle and KWAKTUBE appear on TV

▲ These photos, captured on Instagram, show YouTubers Pani Bottle and KWAKTUBE. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲ This photo, provided by MBC, shows travel variety show 'Adventure by Accident.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲ These photos, provided by tvN and KBS, show travel variety show 'Europe Outside Your Tent' and 'Walking into the Madness (translated).' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) - Traveling variety shows are coming out one after another as travel sentiment, which had been dampened by the pandemic, is gradually revived.

 

Travel YouTubers Pani Bottle (Park Jae-han) and KWAKTUBE (Kwak Joon-bin) with more than 1 million subscribers are attracting attention in recent travel variety shows, according to broadcasting industry on Thursday.

 

In the past, travel variety shows were mainly about "travel beginners" celebrities struggling or admiring famous tourist attractions, but these days, variety shows are drawing attention as a concept of giving "tips" by veteran travelers or living like locals abroad.

 

◇ 'Tips' by veteran travelers...bring fun into the show in a realistic way.

 

MBC TV's "Adventure by Accident," which first aired in December last year, is a trip by webtoon artist Kian84 (Kim Heemin) with Pani Bottle and actor Lee Si-eon without any plans

 

Pani Bottle is a travel YouTuber who mainly goes to travel destinations where Koreans do not often visit, such as Ukraine, Egypt, India, and South America, and is an "ultra-low-cost" traveler who prefers cheap accommodations or restaurants.

 

On Kian84's survival-like trip to South America with a bag, Pani Bottle appears as a "master of Spanish" to help communicate with locals and share information on the previous travel destinations.

 

However, being proficient in traveling is not an attractive point. He says he doesn't have an altitude sickness, but he bleeds his nose with a tired face, and when he goes on a trip, he goes into the hot spring with his underwear since he has no swimsuit and laughs.

 

He brings fun into the program with an extremely realistic appearance, just as some responded that the YouTube content he originally uploaded seemed to be a hopeless version of "Everywhere K"

 

tvN has casted travel YouTuber KWAKTUBE to the travel variety show "You Go Sydney," which is scheduled to air in the first half of this year.

 

KWAKTUBE is a YouTuber who enjoys traveling with locals and is also famous for its local food "mukbang.” Recently, he has also been active in the web variety show " Mouth on Wheels" hosted by comedian Lee Yong-jin, drawing attention from the public.

 

"You Go Sydney" is a program in which KWAKTUBE, actors Huh Sung-tae, Lee Si-eon and Ahn Bo-hyun leave for Australia to work and live there. KWAKTUBE is expected to point out travel points that ordinary viewers can relate to among actors.

 

As such, travel YouTubers such as Pani Bottle and KWAKTUBE has been excellent at delivering the local sensibility of the travel destination as it is, breaking the existing travel variety show’s framework that introduced cool and pretty places.

 

◇ 'Local experience' travel...celebrities traveling are still popular

 

Popular travel variety shows also focus on "local experiences" rather than tourist attractions.

 

tvN will introduce the third spin-off "Seojin's" of "Youn’s Kitchen," which runs a Korean restaurant overseas, next month.

 

"Seojin's" is a program in which actor Lee Seo-jin presents Korean street food as a restaurant owner in Mexico, and is drawing attention as BTS member V appears following existing members Jung Yumi, Choi Woo-shik and Park Seo Jun.

 

tvN's "Europe Outside Your Tent," which enjoyed camping in Switzerland and Italy last year, will also return in season 2. Season 2 is led by actor Cho Jinwoong and leaves for a Spanish camping site.

 

Programs that give viewers a glimpse of celebrities' daily lives in travel destinations are also steadily appearing.

 

TVING "Ticketing with Two Feet," which tells the story of the incredible actors' travel hardships, and KBS 2TV's "Walking into the Madness (translated)," which depicts the unpredictable travel story of the celebrity family, is to be aired on the 20th and 22nd of this month, respectively.

 

"Ticketing with Two Feet" is an variety show in which actors Ha Jung-woo, Ju Jihoon, Yeo Jin goo and SHINee Minho carry out several missions during their trip to obtain travel tickets to present to young people. They leave for New Zealand and enjoy vast natural environments such as mountains, fields, and lakes.

 

“Walking into the Madness” is a variety show that conveys the entire process of the trip from the moment families with various stories pack up to the moment they return home. Actress Seo Jung-hee, who is battling cancer, will leave for Taiwan with her daughter Seo Dong-joo and her mother, while actress Kim Seung-hyun and his wife will leave for Paris, France, with their daughter and in-laws.

 

 

 

 

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)

 

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