Value-Based Profiles of Visitors to a World Heritage Site: The Case of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (in South Korea)

Hwasung Song and Hyun Kim
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Hwasung Song: Department of Finance and Economy, Suwon Research Institute, Suwon 16829, Korea
Hyun Kim: Department of Landscape Architecture, Dankook University, Cheonan 3116, Korea

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the place value of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Korea, a mountain fortress located in natural resources with UNESCO World Heritage Site status, in order to classify visitors according to place value and to establish marketing strategies based on the characteristics of each profile. In particular, for sustainable cultural heritage development, visitors were asked to evaluate the place value of the site from various perspectives, through a presentation of government policies and business based on both the world heritage value and the inherent attractiveness of the site. Utilizing a person-centered approach, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was applied to a sample of visitors to Hwaseong Fortress ( N = 656), with visitors classified by place value into four profiles: Outing Seekers (OS), Tourism Seekers (TS), Heritage Seekers (HS), and Serious Travel Seekers (SS). These profiles differed in relation to distance from the study setting from travelers’ residence, recognition of the fortress as a World Heritage site, and the degree to which the World Heritage site status influenced the decision to visit. The profiles also showed differences in visit satisfaction and intent to revisit. This study contributes a better understanding of visitors’ evaluated value of heritage sites and corresponding behaviors, in order to provide sustainable management for the heritage tourism market.

Keywords: typology; UNESCO world heritage site; place value; latent profile analysis; heritage tourism market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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