To Investigate Antecedents of International Tourists’ Place Attachment and Its Relationships with Memories and Post-Behavioral Intentions: The Case of Seoul City

Abstract

The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest and most dynamic industries in today’s economy. Statistical data indicates that the travel and tourism sector was expected to contribute 9 % to global GDP in 2011 as well as grow an average 4.4 % per year (World Travel and Tourism Council 2012). In response to dynamic and competitive markets, governments and destination marketers attempt to provide unique values and experiences for their international tourists to satisfy their expectations (Sirgy 2010). With continuous changes in international tourists’ needs, strengthen their perceived values and personal involvement have become important business practices (Smith et al. 2010). Moreover, creating positive recollection with a place is a part of the marketing paradigm except for customers’ satisfaction and loyalty marketing (Thomsen and Hansen 2009). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationships among antecedents of place attachment (e.g., destinations traditions, functional value awareness, emotion value awareness, and personal involvement), place attachment, recollection, and post-behavioral intention after international tourists experience travel. This study conducted the two-step methodology (CFA&SEM) to an analysis of the international tourist market of Seoul City. Results from this study provided not only theoretical contributions, but also practical implications that can be useful guidance for destination marketers.