Journal article
The dark tourism experience: Visitors to The April 3rd Peace Park, South Korea
Journal of Tourism & Leisure Research, Vol.23(7), pp.547-566
2011
Abstract
This research examines the overall visitor experience of a dark tourism site visit ? the April 3rd Peace Park on Jeju Island, Korea. It employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine visitors' motivation, on-site experience, and their satisfaction from their visit to the Peace Memorial Hall. In the qualitative component, 46 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in September 2008 and the results were utilized to design a site-specific questionnaire. A survey was carried out in April and June, 2009, and 176 out of 210 questionnaires were used for analysis. The study reveals that learning is the key motivation for visiting the site. It also demonstrates the importance of interpretation and, in particular at the April 3rd Peace Park, 'hot interpretation'. It highlights the effect of visitor origin on visitor behavior. These findings can serve as a guidance for the effective management of the site, and for the effective development of dark tourism products and attractions elsewhere.
Details
- Title
- The dark tourism experience: Visitors to The April 3rd Peace Park, South Korea
- Authors
- Eun-Jung Kang (Author) - Jeju National University, KoreaTimothy J Lee (Author) - University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Journal of Tourism & Leisure Research, Vol.23(7), pp.547-566
- Publisher
- Korea Academic Society of Tourism and Leisure
- Date published
- 2011
- ISSN
- 1229-0424
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451240002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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