Tag Archives: Seoul

The operational version of this truism would be that tourist cities and livable cities are different cities. The truism has been named the Visit/Live Theory for the purposes of this study. Two lists that rank cities were compared. The first list ranks cities according the number of tourists that arrived in a city.

The list and a description of the list can be found at:

http://www.euromonitor.com/Top_150_City_Destinations_London_Leads_the_Way

The second list ranks cities according to livability. Mercer Human Resources looked at 39 quality of life issues including political stability, currency-exchange regulations, political and media censorship, school quality, housing and the environment.

The Mercer list and a description of the list can be found at:

http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/livable_cities_worldwide/

Table 1 shows all the cities on both lists in alphabetical order. In addition, the difference in rank was calculated for each city when this was possible. If a city was on only one top 100 list then the difference in rank could not be calculated. The tourist destination study looked at 150 cities, but for the purposes of comparison, only the top 100 tourist destinations were used in this study. Many cities were only on one list and not on the other list. The number of cities on both lists was counted. The number of cities only on one list was also counted. If the number of cities on both lists was greater than the number of cities not on both lists then this would suggest the truism is not true.

Top 100 Cities: Tourist Destination vs. Livability Rank Table 1: Alphabetical List of All Cities
	Cities	Country	Tourist Rank	Livability Rank	Rank Difference
1	Abu Dhabi	UAE	52	88	36
2	Adelaide	Australia	NR	30	N/A
3	Agra	India	99	NR	N/A
4	Amsterdam	Netherlands	18	13	5
5	Antwerp	Netherlands	90	NR	99
6	Athens	Greece	NR	78	N/A
7	Atlanta	USA	NR	66	N/A
8	Auckland	New Zealand	NR	5	N/A
9	Bahrain	Bahrain	12	NR	18
10	Bangkok	Thailand	2	NR	90
11	Barcelona	Spain	10	41	12
12	Beijing	China	22	NR	N/A
13	Benidorm	Spain	33	NR	N/A
14	Berlin	Germany	34	16	18
15	Bern	Germany	NR	9	N/A
16	Birmingham	United Kingdom	81	55	26
17	Boston	USA	68	36	32
18	Bratislava	Slovakia	NR	99	N/A
19	Brisbane	Australia	NR	32	N/A
20	Bruges	Belgium	89	NR	N/A
21	Brussels	Belgium	NR	14	N/A
22	Buenos Aires	Argentina	NR	79	N/A
23	Budapest	Hungary	36	74	38
24	Cairo	Egypt	45	NR	N/A
25	Calgary	Canada	NR	24	N/A
26	Cancun	Mexico	26	NR	N/A
27	Cape Town	South Africa	57	85	28
28	Chennai	India	97	NR	N/A
29	Chicago	USA	64	44	20
30	Chongquing	China	100	NR	N/A
31	Cleveland	USA	NR	59	N/A
32	Copenhagen	Sweden	54	11	43
33	Dalian	China	87	NR	N/A
34	Detroit	USA	NR	64	N/A
35	Dubai	UAE	7	80	73
36	Dublin	Ireland	11	27	16
37	Dusseldorf	Germany	NR	5	N/A
38	Edinburgh	United Kingdom	56	NR	N/A
39	Florence	Italy	46	NR	N/A
40	Frankfurt	Germany	NR	7	N/A
41	Geneva	Switzerland	98	2	96
42	Glasgow	United Kingdom	82	55	27
43	Granada	Spain	95	NR	N/A
44	Guangzhou	China	32	NR	N/A
45	Guilin	China	65	NR	N/A
46	Hamburg	Germany	83	24	59
47	Hangzhou	China	49	NR	N/A
48	Helsinki	Finland	77	30	47
49	Hong Kong	China	5	70	65
50	Honolulu	USA	NR	27	N/A
51	Houston	USA	NR	68	N/A
52	Istanbul	Turkey	16	NR	N/A
53	Johannesburg	South Africa	NR	90	N/A
54	Katsuyama	Japan	NR	73	N/A
55	Kobe	Japan	NR	40	N/A
56	Krakow	Poland	69	NR	N/A
57	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	15	75	60
58	Kunming	China	94	NR	N/A
59	La Havana	Cuba	70	NR	N/A
60	Las Vegas	USA	48	NR	N/A
61	Leipzig	Germany	NR	67	N/A
62	Lexington	USA	NR	51	N/A
63	Limassol	Cyprus	NR	NR	N/A
64	Lisbon	Portugal	47	47	0
65	Liverpool	United Kingdom	91	NR	N/A
66	Ljubljana	Slovenia	NR	80	N/A
67	London	United Kingdom	1	39	38
68	Los Angeles	USA	31	55	24
69	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	NR	18	N/A
70	Lyon	France	84	36	48
71	Macau	China	27	NR	N/A
72	Madrid	Spain	17	42	25
73	Manchester	United Kingdom	73	NR	N/A
74	Marrakesh	Morocco	50	NR	N/A
75	Mecca	Saudi Arabia	19	NR	N/A
76	Melbourne	Australia	72	17	55
77	Mexico City	Mexico	30	NR	N/A
78	Miami	USA	39	62	23
79	Milan	Italy	42	49	7
80	Minneapolis	USA	NR	60	N/A
81	Monterrey	Mexico	NR	94	N/A
82	Montevideo	Uruguay	NR	76	N/A
83	Montreal	Canada	85	22	63
84	Moscow	Russia	21	NR	N/A
85	Mumbai	India	86	NR	N/A
86	Munich	Germany	40	8	32
87	Nagoya	Japan	NR	54	N/A
88	Nanjing	China	76	NR	N/A
89	New Delhi	India	92	NR	N/A
90	New York City	USA	6	48	42
91	Nice	France	61	NR	N/A
92	Nurnberg	Germany	NR	23	N/A
93	Oahu/Honolulu	USA	44	27	17
94	Omuta	Japan	NR	69	N/A
95	Orlando	USA	38	NR	N/A
96	Osaka	Japan	NR	42	N/A
97	Oslo	Norway	NR	26	N/A
98	Ottawa	Canada	NR	18	N/A
99	Panama City	Panama	NR	92	N/A
100	Papeete	French Polynesia	NR	97	N/A
101	Paris	France	3	33	30
102	Perth	Australia	NR	21	N/A
103	Pittsburg	USA	NR	52	N/A
104	Portland	USA	NR	46	N/A
105	Port Elizabeth	South Africa	NR	97	N/A
106	Port Louis	Mauritius	NR	77	N/A
107	Prague	Czech Republic	20	72	52
108	Qingdao	China	79	NR	N/A
109	Riga	Latvia	NR	92	N/A
110	Rio De Janeiro	Brazil	35	NR	N/A
111	Rome	Italy	8	61	53
113	St. Louis	USA	NR	64	N/A
114	San Juan	Puerto Rico	NR	71	N/A
115	Salvador de Bahia	Brazil	71	NR	N/A
116	Salzburg	Austria	74	NR	N/A
117	San Diego	USA	88	NR	N/A
118	San Francisco	USA	37	29	8
119	Santiago	Chile	NR	83	N/A
120	São Paulo	Brazil	62	NR	N/A
121	Seattle	USA	NR	49	N/A
122	Seoul	South Korea	9	87	78
123	Seville	Spain	60	NR	N/A
124	Shanghai	China	13	100	87
125	Shenzen	China	41	NR	N/A
126	Singapore	Singapore	4	34	N/A
127	St. Petersburg	Russia	25	NR	N/A
128	Stockholm	Sweden	66	20	46
129	Suzhou	China	59	NR	N/A
130	Sydney	Australia	43	9	34
131	Taipei	China	24	81	57
132	Tallinn	Estonia	67	89	22
133	Tianjin	China	75	NR	N/A
134	Tokyo	Japan	51	35	16
135	Toronto	Canada	14	15	1
136	Tsukuba	Japan	NR	55	N/A
137	Tunis	Italy	NR	95	N/A
138	Valencia	Spain	93	NR	N/A
139	Vancouver	Canada	NR	3	N/A
140	Varadero	Cuba	53	NR	N/A
141	Venice	Italy	28	NR	N/A
142	Victoria	Seychelles	NR	95	N/A
143	Vienna	Austria	23	3	20
144	Vilnius	Lithuania	NR	82	N/A
145	Warsaw	Poland	29	85	56
146	Washington DC	USA	63	44	19
147	Wellington	New Zealand	NR	12	N/A
148	Winston Salem	USA	NR	52	N/A
149	Wuxi	China	96	NR	N/A
150	Xi’an	China	78	NR	N/A
151	Xiamen	China	80	NR	N/A
152	Yokkaichi	Japan	NR	63	N/A
153	Yokohama	Japan	NR	38	N/A
154	Zhuhai	China	58	NR	N/A
155	Zurich	Switzerland	55	1	54

NR, no rank, no top 100 rank in this category

N/A, not applicable since the city was on only one of the lists

Table 2 below shows cities that were on both lists ordered from the least difference between ranks to the greatest difference between ranks.

Top 100 Cities: Tourist Destination vs. Livability Rank Table 2: Comparison of Ranks
	Cities	Country	Tourist Rank	Livability Rank	Rank Difference
1	Lisbon	Portugal	47	47	0
2	Toronto	Canada	14	15	1
3	Amsterdam	Netherlands	18	13	5
4	Milan	Italy	42	49	7
5	San Francisco	USA	37	29	8
6	Dublin	Ireland	11	27	16
7	Tokyo	Japan	51	35	16
8	Oahu/Honolulu	USA	44	27	17
9	Berlin	Germany	34	16	18
10	Washington DC	USA	63	44	19
11	Chicago	USA	64	44	20
12	Vienna	Austria	23	3	20
13	Tallinn	Estonia	67	89	22
14	Miami	USA	39	62	23
15	Los Angeles	USA	31	55	24
16	Birmingham	United Kingdom	81	55	26
17	Glasgow	United Kingdom	82	55	27
18	Cape Town	South Africa	57	85	28
19	Paris	France	3	33	30
20	Boston	USA	68	36	32
21	Munich	Germany	40	8	32
22	Sydney	Australia	43	9	34
23	Abu Dhabi	UAE	52	88	36
24	Budapest	Hungary	36	74	38
25	London	United Kingdom	1	39	38
26	New York City	USA	6	48	42
27	Copenhagen	Sweden	54	11	43
28	Stockholm	Sweden	66	20	46
29	Helsinki	Finland	77	30	47
30	Lyon	France	84	36	48
31	Prague	Czech Republic	20	72	52
32	Rome	Italy	8	61	53
33	Melbourne	Australia	72	17	55
34	Warsaw	Poland	29	85	56
35	Taipei	China	24	81	57
36	Hamburg	Germany	83	24	59
37	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	15	75	60
38	Montreal	Canada	85	22	63
39	Hong Kong	China	5	70	65
40	Dubai	UAE	7	80	73
41	Seoul	South Korea	9	87	78
42	Shanghai	China	13	100	87
43	Geneva	Switzerland	98	2	96

Conclusion

There were a total of 155 cities on either list. 112 cities were only on one list. Only 43 cities were on both lists. Cities that are only on one list outnumber cities on both lists 2.6:1. Even for cities on both lists, the mean difference between ranks was 37.6 and quite high. These findings suggest that cities that are visited are not the same cities that are more livable. The truism that some cities are nice places to visit and different cities are nice places to live in is correct. Table 2 showed which cities had the least difference between ranks and the greatest difference between ranks.

The city with the least difference in rank was Lisbon. Lisbon had a rank of 47 on both lists. Toronto had the second least difference in rank and has the honor of having a relatively high visitor rank (14) and livability rank (15). Amsterdam showed a similar pattern to Toronto with a visitor rank of 18 and a livability rank of 13.

Geneva had the greatest difference in rank. Geneva is a great place to live (2) but doesn’t get very many tourists (98) relative to other cities. Shanghai had the second greatest difference in rank but in the opposite direction as Geneva. Shanghai is a city that many tourists visit (13) but only ranks 100 in terms of livability. A practical implication for expats is to be wary of deciding to live in cities you like to visit without taking the Visit/Live Theory into account.

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Posted in Expat, Travel

Tagged Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Agra, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Argentina, Athens, Atlanta, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Belgium, Benidorm, Berlin, Birmingham, Bo, Boston, Bratislava, Brisbane, Bruges, Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Business Week, Cairo, Calgary, Canada, Cancun, Cape Town, Chennai, Chicago, Chile, China, Chongquing, Cleveland, Copenhagen, Cuba, Cyprus, Dalian, Detroit, Dubai, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburg, Egypt, Estonia, Euromonitor, Finland, Florence, France, Frankfurt, French Polynesia, Geneva, Germany, Glasgow, Granada, Greece, Guanzhou, Guilin, Hamburg, Hangzhou, Havana, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, Hugh Fox, Hungary, India, Ireland, Istanbul, Italy, Japan, Johannesburg, Katsuyama, Kobe, Krakow, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, La Havana, Las Vegas, Latvia, Leipzig, Lexington, Limassol, Lisbon, Lithuania, Liverpool, Ljubljana, London, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Lyon, Macau, Madrid, Manchester, Marrakesh, Mauritius, Mecca, Melbourne, Mercer Human Resources, Mexico, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, Minneapolis, Monterrey, Montevideo, Montreal, Morocco, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Nagoya, Nanjing, Netherlands, New Delhi, New York City, New Zealand, Nice, nice place to visit, Norway, Nurnberg, Oahu, Omuta, Orlando, Osaka, Oslo, Ottawa, Panama City, Papeete, Paris, Perth, Pittsburg, Poland, Port Elizabeth, Port Louis, Portland, Portugal, Prague, Puerto Rica, Quingdao, Riga, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Russia, Salvador de Bahia, Salzburg, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Santiago, Sao Paolo, Saudi Arabia, Seattle, Seoul, Seville, Seychelles, Shanghai, Shenzen, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, St. Louis, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Suzhou, Sweden, Switzerland, Sydney, Taipei, Tallinn, Thailand, Tianjin, Tokyo, Top 100 Cities, Toronto, Tsukuba, Tunis, Turkey, Twilight Zone, UAE, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States of America, Uruguay, USA, Valencia, Vancouver, Varadero, Venice, Victoria, Vienna, Vilnius, Visit/Live Theory, Warsaw, Washington DC, Wellington, Winston Salem, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xian, Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Zhuhai, Zurich

NO 19-INCH COMPUTER BAGS IN KOREA!

Posted on July 12, 2008 | 3 comments

I bought a 19-inch Samsung Sens 25 Desktop Replacement Computer a few months ago in Seoul. Samsung has labeled this computer a desktop replacement rather than a lap top because of its size and the lack of a battery. A battery was deemed impractical for a computer of this size and I agree. I have gone ahead and put a CD next to the screen to give the reader some idea of how big this computer is. The computer is impressive. When people walk into the office tel I live in Daejeon, the first thing they notice is the computer and always the comment is “The computer is so big!” I thought it might be fun to take the behemoth to the local coffee house and hopefully get a little attention. So I started shopping for a computer bag. Common sense suggested that the place I bought the computer would have a computer bag for the computer. Nope! I then checked out every electronic store in Daejeon where I live in Korea.

The largest bag I could find in Daejeon was a 17-inch bag in Costco. No luck in Daejeon!

I checked out the COEX Mall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coex_mall). One store had a huge variety of computer bags but the largest one was a 17-inch bag. I then checked out Yongsan Electronics Arcade (http://www.visitseoul.net/jsp/english/buy/shop_02_02.jsp?template_id=146&info_id=4020000033&onloadset1_num=2&onloadset2_num=21), the largest electronic market in Seoul and actually gigantic. 5,000 shops but no luck! One thing I have noticed in Seoul, the larger markets like Yongsan, Dongdaemun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongdaemun_Market) and Namdaemun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun_Market) have tons and tons of stores but they all sell the same things for more or less the same price. I have lived in Taipei for seven years and much smaller markets in Taipei will in fact have more consumer options. The area around Taipei Station has all sorts of nooks and crannies where stuff you didn’t even know existed is sold. I would say the variety of consumer goods in and around Taipei Station is much greater than Dongdaemun and Namdaemun put together despite the fact that each of these Korean markets alone is in fact much larger than the market place area around Taipei Station. I got online and found there is a US based online store that does offer the bag but does not deliver to Korea where the computers are made. Talk about irony!

I think my experience is illustrative of a larger observation I have of Korea from a consumer point of view. Samsung is into housing, fashion, you name it but they don’t make a computer bag for their core product, computers. Companies in other countries focus on their core products. Can you imagine Hewlet Packard running an apartment complex or selling suits? Can you also imagine Hewlet Packard creating a computer but forgetting to make a computer bag to go with the computer? There is another giant conglomerate in Korea called Lotte that does the same thing as Samsung. Lotte runs everything from malls to hamburger joints and also runs apartment complexes just like Samsung.

There is vertical integration at the expense of horizontal invention. Secondly, there is an illusion of consumer choice in Korea that upon closer examination is false. There is size without variety. I think you can make more money by selling something no one else sells rather than selling something everyone sells. Koreans prefer copying to invention.

There are two giant hypermart chains in Korea: Homever (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homever) and E-mart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mart) but they basically sell the same stuff. The hypermarts are huge but the international section is in fact much smaller than what you would find in a medium sized store in any number of other Asian countries such as Thailand and Taiwan much less Japan. For example, you can’t get canned beans in either chain. There is a rumor that E-Mart is slightly cheaper but this is debated among Koreans.

There is no attempt by the two hypermart chains to carve out a niche market. This would be the equivalent of Walmart and Target being almost identical in price and goods offered. Target is up market compared to Walmart but there is no such differentiation in the Korean retail market. This is something long time expats to Korea express over and over again in many different ways. You can get also get a lot of international stuff in other Asian cities such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai and even Taipei that are not available in Seoul much less smaller cities in Korea. Koreans that have not lived abroad have a very hard time understanding what the expats in Korea are talking about. Koreans who have lived abroad get it. One saying you do hear over and over again among expats in Korea is “Korea is very Korean”.

More photos at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31162&l=ee670&id=521247529

WereVerse Universe Baby!

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Posted in Non-fiction, South Korea

Tagged Computer, computer bags, Daejeon, Desktop Replacement System, Dongdaemun Market, E-mart, Homever, Hugh Fox, Namdaemun Market, Samsung, Samsung 19-inch Sens G25, Seoul, South Korea, Youngsan Electronics Arcade

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Top 100 Cities: Tourist Destination vs. Livability Rank

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Werefox at Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea

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Top 100 Cities: Tourist Destination vs. Livability Rank

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NO 19-INCH COMPUTER BAGS IN KOREA!

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