Recognition and Intent-to-Participate of Rural Migrants on Urban and Rural Exchange Business in Namhae County, South Korea

Abstract

Background and objective Rural migrants are an important human resource in urban and rural exchange (URE) business, therefore it is necessary to enhance their awareness and intent-to-participate. This study was to analyze the rural migrants’ recognition and intent-to-participate of URE business and to propose the enhancement of them both. Methods The questionnaire was designed to analyze the socio-demographic background, motivations, satisfaction with settlement, intent-to-persist, and intent-to-participate of URE business including tourism. The data of 144 respondents was subject to the statistical analysis. Results The motives of migration were to enjoy leisure life after retirement, increased tiredness of city life, health problems, etc. The satisfaction with settlement was 3.67 at 5-point Likert scale. The intent-to-recommend and intent-to-publicize were 3.40 and 3.46, respectively. The intent-to-participate was 3.45, which was affected by the necessity of URE business and the support of central/local governments, and also showed a significant correlation with the satisfaction with settlement, intent-to-recommend, intent-to-publicize, tourism resources for green tourism or rural tourism, driving a car in Namhae county, and the service and price of meals. They thought the missions that the Namhae county office must focus on were to establish an internal/external public relations systems, establish a support system of central/local governments, and foster/support local leaders. Conclusion It is necessary to improve the satisfaction with settlement and intent-to-persist, expand exchanges with local people, improve internal/external public relations systems, foster/support leaders, improve transportation in the county, enhance the service and price of meals, and develop/operate URE programs including tourism.