Preserving the Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (Women Divers) as a Sustainable Tourism Resource

Sunwoo Park, Namho Chung and Won Seok Lee
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Sunwoo Park: Department of Leisure and Tourism, Kyonggi University, 24 Kyonggidae-ro 9-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03753, Korea
Namho Chung: Smart Tourism Education Platform, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
Won Seok Lee: Department of Tourism and Recreation, Kyonggi University, 24 Kyonggidae-ro 9-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03753, Korea

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-11

Abstract: The culture of Jeju Haenyeo, the women free divers of Jeju Island, is inscribed on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list; however, it is proving difficult to maintain this status because, in the absence of conservation measures, the number of Haenyeo is decreasing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to use contingent valuation to determine the economic value of preserving Jeju Haenyeo culture, which derives from visitor entrance fees, with the aim of justifying the preservation of this and other such intangible cultural resources. Despite its methodological advantage of allowing estimation of the value of non-market goods, the contingent valuation method (CVM) has been criticized because the hypothetical nature of the conditions can cause overestimation. To overcome that limitation, the respondents in this study reported their willingness to pay (WTP), and their responses were repeatedly confirmed to ensure their sincerity. The CVM estimate of the preservation value of Jeju Haenyeo culture was 17,308 South Korean Won. The results of this study serve as referential data on the value of cultural heritages and the need to preserve and utilize these resources.

Keywords: culture of the Jeju Haenyeo; UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity; willingness to pay; preservation value; contingent valuation method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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