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This study attempts to more exactly trace tourists' perceptions of hiking experiences by measuring perceptions in the early, middle, and late stages of a 4-hour hiking trip. A total of 339 respondents participated in this survey while hiking in Jeju Olle, South Korea. A survey was conducted three times using the same respondents and the same questionnaire. A total of 301 questionnaire sets, matched for all three stages of the experience, were used for further data analysis. Hikers indicated differences in their psychological states between the three points in time. In terms of benefits sought, environmental experience, and place attachment, they reported a higher level of immersion in experiential dynamics. However, regarding perceived mood, they became less excited and less rushed, while feeling more bored and relaxed. Four clusters generated after conducting cluster analysis demonstrated differences in perception of the psychological variables across the clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the theoretical relationships between job stressors, psychological stress and coping strategies in the context of the global travel and tourism crisis faced by the airline industry. Design/methodology/approach: An online cross-sectional survey was designed to obtain empirical data from airline employees in South Korea and Hong Kong. A total of 366 airline employees participated in the survey through convenience sampling method. Findings: The structural equation modeling findings indicated that work schedule and demand; job insecurity and financial concerns; and role conflict played a significant role in creating psychological stress, which, in turn, determined emotion-oriented coping. The influence of the identified job stressors on psychological stress was significantly different between South Korean and Hong Kong airline employees. Practical implications: The study demonstrates ways in which airline employees react to stressful work circumstances to avoid loss of resources. Furthermore, it highlights the role that psychological stress plays in influencing airline employees to direct attention to emotion-oriented coping mechanisms. Originality/value: In view of the immense impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global airline industry, this study expands the role of job stressors in a peculiar and unprecedented work environment in the airline industry and accentuates the varying effects job stress may have on coping strategies from the perspective of airline employees in an Asian culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate Muslim traveler experiences of inconvenience while visiting Korea, combining focus groups and semistructured interviews (a qualitative approach), and questionnaire-based surveying (a quantitative approach). The authors investigated the reliability and validity of a customized structural model by merging covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) and partial least squares SEM (PLS-SEM). There were five salient and observable constructs which cause inconvenience for Muslims when visiting Korea. The results showed significant effects on the part of the identified constructs on affective experience, satisfaction, desire, behavior intention, and place attachment. The study findings can guide Korean tourism stakeholders in tackling the issues causing inconvenience for Muslim travelers, as well as informing authorities in other countries and territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identified the determinants of hiking tourism demands to bridge the gap resulting from the absence of evidence in the tourism literature. The main survey was administered through personal interviews with hikers on the Jeju Olle hiking trail in South Korea. The study adopted zero-truncated negative binomial regression analysis to estimate accurately the demands of hikers who have visited the trail at least once. The results indicated that the frequency of visits to the trail decreases by 49% when hikers set a premium on their tour experience of one unit. The visit frequency of tourists who value recreation on the trail was 1.8 times higher than that of tourists who do not. The results will assist trail authorities in allocating budgets, prioritizing the improvement and maintenance of facilities and services, and providing tailored services and facilities to hikers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the benefits of hiking for visitors to the Jeju Olle Trail on Jeju Island in Korea, which has been designated as a World Heritage Site. Data were collected from a total of 318 tourists visiting the Jeju Olle Trail. The study focused on comparing the benefits sought by first-time visitors and those of repeat visitors. Analytical results found that first-time visitors and repeat visitors sought different benefits from their hiking experiences. First-time visitors sought to observe nature and interact with people. For first-time visitors, benefits that delighted them were buying unique souvenirs and enjoying educational experiences, whereas repeat visitors demonstrated a good assessment on interactions with new people and buying unique souvenirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to gain insight into the preferences of US customers regarding Korean food, and to categorize these customers according to the reasons for their preferences.Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted with a sample of customers in Korean restaurants in the USA.Findings Cluster 1 was a group whose members were attracted to Korean culture; Cluster 2 was a group whose members were passionate about Korean food; Cluster 3 was a group seeking healthy and exotic food; and Cluster 4 was a low-interest group. Each cluster had a different socio-demographic profile, favored a different Korean menu, identified different success factors for Korean restaurants, described different expectations and experiences of Korean restaurants and had different preferences regarding Korean food services.Practical implications Active promotion of Korean food and Korean culture may be appropriate for Cluster 1, while developing a healthy and exotic menu may attract Cluster 3. Maintaining Cluster 2 is deemed important, while a strategic approach is necessary to appeal to Cluster 4.Originality/value This study will contribute theoretically and practically to understanding food globalization, ethnic restaurants and segmentation by preference reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores consumers' perceptions of different payment methods (mobile, traditional and cryptocurrency) for hotels and tourism in an international destination, based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Taking a quantitative research approach, data collected from China and Korea were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that Chinese and Korean consumers' perceived usefulness, ease of use, and security differ with different payment methods. The findings also reveal different underlying mechanisms that determine Chinese and Korean consumers' intention to visit a destination based on their choice of payment method. This study provides a theoretical basis for future research on crypto-payments and offers pragmatic recommendations for professionals in the hospitality and travel industry in light of the attitudes and intentions of the two countries towards the three payment methods. • Customers' perceptions of three different payment methods in the hospitality and tourism industry are examined. • Chinese and Korean consumers display some differences in their responses to different payment methods. • The technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as a theoretical base. • Security, ease of use, and usefulness were of importance in building customers' intention to visit a destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Television (TV) drama/film production towns have been mushrooming in Korea to cater for the increasing popularity of film tourism. Most of these towns have been constructed by local governments to stimulate economic development, enhance the image and awareness of the region, and to fulfill the political desires of the local government officials. However, in the last 15 years, 34 towns have been established, which has led to heavy competition for film tourists and in attracting subsequent TV drama and film productions. Consequently, most of the towns are currently experiencing financial difficulties and are exploring effective measures to maintain their popularity. In this study, film tourists' perceptions of TV drama/film production towns were analyzed using a structured survey method. The survey data were analyzed using pairedt-tests and importance–performance (I–P) analyses. The results reveal that the film tourists' had different perceptions of the I–P of the products and services provided by the towns. In particular, their perceptions of I–P displayed distinct gap patterns in relation to various socio-demographic and travel-related variables. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT Rapid decolonization began after World War II (1939-1945) and did not conclude until the breakup of the former USSR in 1989. Many studies have labelled tourism as the peace industry. However, there have been limited efforts to analyze post-colonial tourism exchanges between colonizers and the colonized. This study explored the development of post-colonial tourism exchanges between Japan and South Korea in the period 1946-2010. The high level of residual mistrust and diplomatic disputes that affected bilateral flows in the years after Korea's independence from Japan have now been replaced by a very high level of bilateral flows between the two nations, indicating that many of the issues of the past are no longer seen as relevant by contemporary Korean and Japanese tourists. The paper suggests a framework for analysing post-colonial flows. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]