Hallyu Revisited: Challenges and Opportunities for the South Korean Tourism

The tourism industry in South Korea has undergone unprecedented growth and faced multiple changes since 2000, thanks to the recent emergence and growing popularity and influence of the Hallyu phenomenon. Although an earlier research paper in Tourism Geographies in 2009 provided insights into the relationship between the Hallyu and patterns of inbound tourism, little scholarly effort has been made to investigate how the Korean tourism industry has evolved in response to the challenges and opportunities generated by the Hallyu. The findings suggest that until recently, the government did not have a comprehensive mid- and long-term tourism policy dedicated to the Hallyu and its impacts on tourism. Diversified trends and patterns of Hallyu-related tourism, a paucity of longitudinal approaches to market segmentation research and long-term trend analyses, and a lack of coordination between the Korean government and key tourism agencies have been also identified as key issues and challenges.     

The Influence of a TV Drama on Visitors’ Perception: A Cross-Cultural Study

The goal of this study is to assess the effects the Korean food featured on the Korean TV drama series Daeganggeum has on the perceptions of national image and intention to visit Korea by residents of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. Estimates of structural equation models are used for samples from the three countries to produce information for comparing relationships between variables: on preferring Korean food, the national image of Korea, and the intention to visit Korea for food tourism. The results show similarities and differences between the three national groups. Virtually identical models are found for Hong Kong and Taiwan groups. However, the comparison of Hong Kong and Taiwan groups to the Thailand group demonstrate differences. Specifically, in the Thai sample, distinctiveness of Korean food culture significantly increases the intention to visit Korea for food tourism. All three national groups demonstrate that a strong relationship exists between the national image of Korea and the intention to visit Korea for food tourism.     

Motion Picture-Induced Visual,Vocal and Celebrity Effects on Tourism Motivation: Stimulus Organism Response Model

Motion pictures play a predominant role in enhancing the consumers' awareness of tourism destinations and inspiring their motivation to visit destinations. “Hallyu” (Korean Wave), a platform of Korean cultural exports, has altered the Korean tourism industry and now attracts travelers from around the world. Utilizing the popularity of the Korean Wave, the Korean Tourism Organization promotes Korean tourism attractions through motions pictures, including Korean films, television drama series, music and K-pop. The visual, vocal and celebrity effects which emanate from Korean motion pictures are expected to influence travelers' intent to visit and actual visitation. A questionnaire was distributed to Thai travelers and a total of 191 valid questionnaires were analyzed using regression analysis. The results indicate that visual and vocal effects emanating from Korean motion pictures fueled travelers' intention to visit Korea and explore Korean culture and tourism attractions. However, the results indicate no significant effect of celebrity endorsements on travelers' intentions.     

Audience involvement and film tourism experiences: Emotional places, emotional experiences

This study attempted to investigate the extent to which audience involvement or engagement with a serialised TV drama affects their actual on-site film tourism experiences at its former filmed locations. As an empirical study, an on-site survey was conducted at Daejanggeum Theme Park, the main filmed location of Jewel in the Palace, known in Korean as Daejanggeum, in Yangjoo, South Korea. The results indicated that audience’s emotional and behavioural involvement was the main driver that positively affected their on-site film tourism experiences. Cognitively oriented audience involvement including cognitive interaction and critical reflection, however, was not considered as one of the major vehicles to construct and influence audience viewing experiences and their subsequent on-site film tourism experiences. The results also identified that the more emotional involvement audience develops through viewing the TV drama, the greater the likelihood of them visiting film tourism locations.     

The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents' Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination

The goal of this study is to assess the influences that Korean pop culture has on Hong Kong residents' perceptions of Korea as a potential tourist destination. Among the 500 distributed questionnaires, 456 were collected. Finally, 440 usable surveys were used for data analysis after eliminating 16 questionnaires with multiple missing answers that were deemed unusable. Data analyses produced many meaningful results. For example, respondents who were less educated and tended to spend more on Korean cultural products had a higher intention to visit Korea after they tasted Korean food. Expenditures on Korean cultural products were a significant contributor to Hong Kong residents' intention to visit Korea after experiencing the three types of Korean pop culture used in this study. Results of this study confirm those of previous studies, which found that the media had a significant influence on a person's choice of tourist destination.     

Past,Present, and Future of Tourism Education

SUMMARY

Tourism education in Korea, mandated by the Higher Education Act, has evolved rapidly in response to the tourism industry's growth and labor demands for the last four decades. As tourism education has matured and become increasingly recognized as a legitimate academic field of study, the Korean tourism education has attempted to generate future quality workforce and to establish the status of tourism as a prominent research oriented discipline. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the Korean tourism industry and tourism education over the past four decades and to suggest future directions for Korean education in the 21st century. By improving current curricula according to today's fast changing tourism business environment and cooperating with the tourism industry with the aid of the government on policies and regulations, Korean tourism education will continue to contribute to the Korean tourism industry as a legitimate partner.     

Does a Food-themed TV Drama Affect Perceptions of National Image and Intention to Visit a Country? An Empirical Study of Korea TV Drama

A Korean TV drama series (Daejanggeum), with a story line focusing on Korean food, was exported to over 50 countries resulting in a surprisingly popular mega-hit. The popularity of this TV drama, transcended across countries and cultural boundaries, has brought an enhancement to the national image of Korea or national brand, and led to a surge in sales of Korean industrial products, as well as an increased interest in Korean tourism resources. This study attempted to empirically investigate the effects of the TV drama series on the national image and intention to visit Korea as perceived by Chinese diners. Interestingly, the “peculiarity of Korean culture” was a main reason for preferring Korean cuisine, which positively affected the perception of the national image and the intention to visit Korea to partake in food tourism. Further, this study suggests that future studies are needed to compare the results of this research according to national, ethnic, regional, or religious boundaries. The comparison of other ethnic groups will be helpful for establishing different marketing strategies according to the different cohorts with different consumption patterns.     

山东半岛开拓韩国高尔夫旅游市场研究

高尔夫运动在东方国家逐渐普及开来.目前韩国的高尔夫爱好者超过300万,拥有高尔夫球场近200座,但是仍然供不应求,每年利用各种机会携带球杆到海外打球的旅游者高达10万人次,韩国高尔夫旅游市场呈现出高增长的特点.本文首次探讨了如何加强山东半岛与韩国高尔夫旅游市场的合作,对韩国高尔夫旅游市场进行了基本分析,特别是对山东半岛开拓韩国高尔夫专项旅游产品市场存在的问题进行了详细分析,并对推动韩国高尔夫入鲁旅游市场的快速发展提出了有关思考和对策建议.     

Negotiating authenticity: Cathar heritage tourism

This paper explores the negotiation of authenticity with the case of Cathar heritage tourism in southern France. Also known as the Albigensians, the Cathars were a medieval sect practicing in the Languedoc Region of southern France from the tenth to the fourteenth century. Cathar heritage tourism is based upon various museums, heritage centers, castles, and seasonal trading fairs or markets supplemented by the activities of Cathar re-enactment or ‘living history’ societies. This interest in Cathar heritage has led to a highly saturated calendar of events. In 2010, for example, the total number of all varieties of these events in France was 36, with over 4000 people actively participating and the events attracting upwards of about 3 million visitors annually.

Based on a case-study approach, the geographical breadth of Cathar heritage tourism in France is outlined, giving brief case studies of each of the main types of tourist experiences. This is followed with a discussion on how notions of authenticity and commodification are constructed by key participants through the staging of particular types of Cathar heritage tourism.     

Intercultural sensitivity and tourism patterns among international students in Korea: using a latent profile analysis

The purpose of this study is to examine the intercultural sensitivity of international students in Korea based on Chen and Starosta’s [(2000). The development and validation of the intercultural communication sensitivity scale. Human Communication, 3, 1–15] intercultural sensitivity scale using a latent profile analysis and to discuss tourism patterns of each group segmented by intercultural sensitivity. According to the analysis, international students were classified by intercultural sensitivity with four groups: introverted observer, defensive bystander, favorable crowd, and veteran. Based on their characteristics and tourism patterns of each group, theoretical and practical implications were suggested. Considering the growing overseas education particularly in non-English-speaking countries and its significant influence on tourism, this study connected the multiple constructs in various fields such as intercultural contact, international student mobility, and tourism, providing a quintessential example of multidisciplinary research.     

Korean and conventional medicine tourism industry trends as indicated in medical tourism advertisement images: qualitative research using data from medical Korea 2015

This study analyzed advertisement images targeting international audiences of South Korean medical facilities (traditional Korean and conventional medicine) participating in Medical Korea 2015 using thematic content analysis. The image categories most often used in conventional medicine were medical procedures, facilities, and staff photos, while those for traditional Korean medicine were medical procedures, staff photos, and images. Conventional medicine consistently presented high SERVQUAL tangibility scores, whereas Korean medicine displayed distinct associations between SERVQUAL categories and image size. Analyses suggested specialty preference by language. These findings may be used to recognize key messages in medical tourism and contribute to its systematic promotion.

Abbreviations: KHIDI: Korea health industry development institute; SERVQUAL: service quality     

发展延边旅游业的思考——以跨界民族为视角

延边朝鲜族自治州地处东北边陲,旅游资源丰富,近年来旅游业发展迅速.中国朝鲜族是从朝鲜半岛琦入中国国境的跨界民族,与韩民族具有血缘关系和特殊的历史文化关系.作为中国朝鲜族曩大的聚居地,延边旅游业的发展与境外民族国家韩国怎息相关.本文通过SWOT分析,提出以当前中韩两国良好的政治经济文化环境为背景.充分利用跨界民族的优势条件,正视存在的问题,抓紧有利时机,是廷边发展旅游业的战略选择.     

The dimensions of rural tourism experience: impacts on arousal,memory, and satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Rural tourism is driven by the search for unique and memorable experiences in particular settings, but knowledge on visitors’ experiences in rural destinations is still scarce. This paper analyzes the rural tourism experience of Portuguese tourists who answered an online survey (N = 252). The paper aims at validating, in the rural tourism context, a previously proposed tourist experience scale, and analyzing the relationships between the experience, arousal, memory, and satisfaction. Results reveal that the rural tourism experience dimensions of education and esthetics positively predict rural tourists’ arousal, whereas escapism and esthetics determine memorability. Finally, implications for rural tourism marketing are discussed.     

‘What’s the Story in Balamory?’: The Impacts of a Children’s TV Programme on Small Tourism Enterprises on the Isle of Mull,Scotland

Film- and television-induced tourism effects have been witnessed in a number of locations world-wide, creating a range of positive and negative impacts for host communities and environments. The children’s television programme Balamory, filmed on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, has created a new tourism phenomenon for the island, leading to concern that Mull’s reputation as a green destination for the discerning might be displaced by a less desirable form of tourism. Through a questionnaire survey of tourism businesses on Mull, this paper explores the perceptions of television-induced tourism and the effect of Balamory on business activity during the 2003 season, exploring customer numbers, spending, turnover and profitability, along with attitudes to the new visitors. The research also explores the implications for sustainable tourism development, particularly recognising the limited life-span of film- and television-induced tourism and issues relating to displacement of traditional markets, with an emphasis on sustaining tourism as a means of generating revenue to support a rural island community.     

北京冬奥会绿色低碳技术应用及其对低碳旅游的启示

北京冬奥会是中国提出"双碳"目标后的首个大型国际体育赛事,绿色办奥是北京冬奥会的举办理念之一。本文采用文献资料法和案例分析法,以北京冬奥会中碳减排技术与碳中和措施为研究导向,挖掘北京冬奥会绿色低碳技术的应用情况与经验,以及对低碳旅游发展的启示。研究表明：（1）北京冬奥会以"双碳"目标、可持续性理念与"两山"理论为指引,将碳减排技术与碳中和措施贯彻到赛前、赛时、赛后利用的全过程,为绿色低碳技术的转化与应用提供参考,并取得良好的社会效益、生态效益与经济效益。（2）北京冬奥会绿色低碳技术的应用对低碳旅游的可持续发展具有借鉴意义,本文从科学选址旅游项目、制定低碳旅游标准、高效利用现有设施、构建低碳能源体系、建立低碳交通体系、打造低碳产品体系、构建碳中和机制、鼓励游客绿色消费八个维度探讨低碳旅游发展的现实路径。     

Analyzing the Use of TV Miniseries for Korea Tourism Marketing

The number of Taiwanese visiting Korea hit a record high in 2004, accounting for a 65% increase over the previous year and taking the first place in destination of departure nationals. Tourism data from 1999 to 2005 also indicates that the total number of tourists visiting Korea has grown steadily. Korean TV miniseries have likely contributed to an increase in tourists visiting Korea. The phenomenon is worth studying in depth. Therefore, the study first classifies tourism induced by Korean TV miniseries. Then, it examines how South Korea executes place marketing to attract tourists and how Korean TV miniseries use product placement to attract tourists to film locations is discussed.     

Characteristics of a Medical Tourism Industry: The Case of South Korea

This study investigates the process involved in developing a medical tourism industry in South Korea as a case country, one of the fastest growing countries with strong potential in the medical tourism industry. It analyzed 252 articles on medical tourism posted on the websites of the Korean Tourism Organization and the Korean International Medical Association. Both sources are highly representative portal websites for medical tourism in the country. The article aims to enhance understanding of medical tourism as a new growth industry while identifying its key developmental characteristics and makes valuable suggestions for the industry that can be reflected to other countries. The study contributes theoretically and practically by examining the unique and updated characteristics and process of positioning of this recently emerging field in the global tourism industry.     

A cross-cultural study of perceptions of medical tourism among Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourists in Korea

The purpose of this study is to observe factors related to perceptions of and possible participation in medical tourism by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean visitors to Jeju Island in Korea. It aims to identify cultural differences among them, and how those differences affect their pursuit of medical tourism in the future. The research results illustrate that significant differences exist in how Chinese, Japanese and Korean visitors view factors of choice, discomfort and preferred product items. The study establishes four factor groups regarding medical tourism with exploratory factor analysis. Based on these findings, differences of participation intention and behaviors among the three groups are explained. From this, the study describes distinct characteristics of medical tourism among the three cultural groups. The differences among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean tourists with regard to the selection of destination, inconveniences, and preferred products were found to be all significant. Korean tourists placed most significance on selection factors, followed by Chinese tourists, and, lastly, the Japanese. On the other hand, inconveniences related to medical and care services, stay and cost, and information and insurance elements were most strongly associated with Japanese tourists. This may be a reflection of a possible tendency of Japanese tourists to value safety and cost effectiveness. For Chinese tourists, the importance of stay and cost was equally high as those of their Japanese counterparts, which is indicative of Chinese tourists’ cost sensitivity. Light treatments (minor surgery) were preferred by Chinese tourists, while more significant treatments (major surgery) were preferred by Japanese tourists. In terms of aesthetic and healthcare services, Chinese tourists showed the most interest, while Japanese tourists placed emphasis on rehabilitation (lifestyle-related), which may reflect the Korean Wave’s influence in certain Chinese market segments, leading to an increased demand for cosmetic or plastic surgery.     

Do expectations of future wealth increase outbound tourism? Evidence from Korea

As international tourism is generally considered a luxury good, models to date have shared an understanding that demand is dependent on discretionary income. However, consumption theories predict that a shift in demand can be induced without changes in actual earnings when expectations for future income are adjusted. This presumes demand for international tourism can be influenced by “wealth effects” from real estate and financial assets. This study tested for the wealth effect on Korean outbound travelers during the 20 years between 1989 and 2009. Korea is a unique place to examine in that Korean households possess housing assets and financial assets that are traded actively in markets. The results of this study favored the possibility of a significant wealth effect from housing on outbound travel demand, but not from financial assets. This may be explained by data sensitivity and the relative importance of financial assets in the Korean people's wealth portfolios. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided along with the findings of the study.     

The Japanese Travel Life Cycle

Summary

This paper offers an alternative way of segmenting a non-western travel market, namely, the Japanese outbound market. The segmentation schema comprises several institutionalised forms of travel likely to be undertaken by a Japanese individual in the course of his or her life. Coined the ‘travel life cycle,' the concept fits Japanese society well due to the highly organized and group-oriented patterns of travel that have emerged over the past one hundred years. While this form of segmentation is unlikely to be usefully applied to western travel markets, its application in the Japanese context may suggest that it has relevance when examining the travel patterns of other tradition-bound and group-oriented Asian travel markets such as Korea, China or Indonesia. The paper's conceptual contribution lies in the implicit suggestion that particular cultures may develop and exhibit unique forms of consumption behavior that lie outside the conceptual framework normally adopted by western academics and marketing practitioners. Manageri-ally, the paper suggests ways by which tourism operators and tourism promotion bodies can more efficiently and effectively target Japanese travellers according to the stage of travel life cycle.