Motivating muslim travelers to visit Korea

What is it about?

Despite its rapid growth in the global tourism marketplace, Halal tourism is an unexplored area in the inbound tourism sector of Korea. This study was an attempt to provide a clear understanding about what triggers Muslim travelers’ decisions to revisit and recommend Korea as a tourism destination. A quantitative approach was used. A field survey was conducted at tourist sites in Korea. Results of the measurement model assessment demonstrated the quality of the measures used in this study. Results of the structural model assessment showed that motivation significantly affected hedonic and utilitarian values, and such associations contributed to building positive destination image of Korea. Moreover, our results indicated that motivation, hedonic value, utilitarian value, and destination image played a vital role in building Muslim travelers’ behavioral intentions. Further, values and destination image were identified as important mediators within the proposed theoretical framework. Overall, findings of this study offer destination practitioners meaningful insights for the development of Halal-friendly tourism in Korea.

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