Influence of popular culture on special interest tourists' destination image

SoJung Lee and Billy Bai

Tourism Management, 2016, vol. 52, issue C, 161-169

Abstract: In this study the role of pop-culture on shaping destination image was derived from focus groups and interviews with 24 fans from different nationalities of the Korean pop star Ahn Jae-wook. Three main theses emerged from the study: 1) the destination image induced by pop-culture was changed in a positive way; 2) the pop-star's event reinforced a positive place image through experiences of the event and travels in South Korea; and 3) the positive image from pop-culture experiences had a strong impact on future behavior. Results of the study suggest that pop-culture as an autonomous agent delivers a more powerful and stronger influence on destination image than previously recognized in the literature. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Destination image; Destination image formation; Popular culture (pop-culture); Special interest tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:touman:v:52:y:2016:i:c:p:161-169

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2015.06.019

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