With the globalisation of music, it has develop into ever simpler for individuals world wide to find and join with completely different genres and artists. This has sparked vacationers’ curiosity in visiting the locations the place their favorite music originated or the place iconic musical occasions, corresponding to festivals, happen. Due to an progressive empirical research by Dr Seongseop (Sam) Kim and Dr Antony King Fung Wong of the Faculty of Lodge and Tourism Administration (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic College, working with a co-author, we now know extra about how a worldwide music phenomenon, Okay-pop, can drive vacationers’ preferences and decision-making.
Music tourism has a storied historical past, from the European “Grand Excursions” of the 17th century to fan pilgrimages to Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis and the Beatles’ iconic Liverpool haunts. Nevertheless, this phenomenon – outlined as vacationers travelling to locations related to music and/or musicians, previous and current – has grown exponentially in current a long time. Pop music, being a major cultural image, has developed into a serious vacationer attraction
, the researchers inform us.
Though the world music map has lengthy been dominated by Western pop and its commercialised trade, the tide is popping. Newly rising sources of latest pop music
, word the researchers, replicate the ever-increasing dislocation of cultural globalisation from the Western context
. A standout case is that of Korean pop, or “Okay-pop”, which has formed a vibrant burgeoning music tourism trade in South Korea (hereafter Korea).
In response to a current trade report launched by Korea Basis
, the authors inform us, the variety of world Okay-pop followers exceeds 156 million
. Okay-pop music – represented by the record-breaking boy band BTS – is without doubt one of the nation’s greatest exports, accounting for no less than 0.3% of its GDP. Within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Okay-pop music has even performed a task in Korea’s – and the world’s – tourism restoration. “Certainly”, say the researchers, the Korean authorities is making an attempt to combine its tourism improvement and promotion with Okay-pop tradition
.
The speedy rise of music tourism has not gone unnoticed by students. Research in fields starting from cultural geography to ethnomusicology, in addition to tourism, have make clear the results of music – together with Okay-pop – on tourism outcomes, from participation in concert events and music festivals to curiosity within the tradition, garments and delicacies of origin international locations. It has additionally been additionally documented that the spin-off results of music affect journey to musicians’ hometowns or international locations
, the researchers report.
Though the literature on music and tourism is growing, 4 important analysis gaps stay. “First”, say the researchers, there have been few efforts to empirically analyse the results of music on the attitudes and behavioural intentions of potential vacationers
. Second, students have paid little consideration to consumption worth – the perceived advantages that prospects can acquire from consuming a services or products – within the context of music tourism. The consumption worth of music contains ongoing emotions, feelings, pleasures, nostalgia and catharsis
elicited by means of viewers members’ engagement with and responses to music content material.
The third downside is that current educational information in regards to the relationships between music and its followers’ attitudes or supposed locations is usually descriptive or qualitative
, say the researchers. Quantitative research of this matter are missing. Fourth and at last, the fashions developed so far to measure client involvement with Okay-pop tradition have failed to include numerous constructs, together with music consumption worth and viewers involvement.
The researchers got down to fill these necessary gaps. This research aimed to research the underlying structural relationships between perceived consumption values of Okay-pop music, viewers involvement, familiarity, and behavioural intention
, they inform us. Primarily based on a rigorous literature evaluate, they first hypothesised that the perceived worth related to consuming Okay-pop music will increase each emotional involvement with and referential reflection on the music – two key dimensions of viewers involvement.
Subsequent, the researchers hypothesised that people who’ve a excessive stage of emotional involvement and referential reflection with regard to Okay-pop music (and performers) usually tend to re-arrange their private schedules to proceed in participating with Okay-pop music
. Such elevated behavioural involvement with Okay-pop music and/or singers can in flip set off eager curiosity in and familiarity with the homeland of Okay-pop music and singers as a potential tourism vacation spot, and affect journey intentions
.
To quantitatively check their proposed framework linking Okay-pop music consumption worth to vacationers’ precise attitudes and behavior, the researchers designed a web-based survey measuring these constructs, which they administered to overseas audiences of Okay-pop. Many of the respondents had been common customers of Okay-pop who resided in the USA. The survey gadgets used to measure Okay-pop consumption worth included options of the singers, fanship, efficiency high quality, background, curiosity in mimicking singers or singing, and curiosity in lyrics
. The researchers additionally examined varied dimensions of viewers involvement, in addition to the intention to journey, store and devour meals in Korea, the music’s origin nation.
The evaluation yielded a number of necessary – and generally shocking – findings. “First”, say the researchers, the perceived character and visible efficiency worth of Okay-pop music weren’t important in explaining emotional involvement or referential reflection
. This was inconsistent with the findings of earlier research specializing in Western music, maybe as a result of Western vacationers is probably not prepared to just accept the femininity or tender masculinity of Okay-pop boy bands
, the researchers recommend.
The researchers discovered that two dimensions of Okay-pop consumption worth, particularly imitation and attachment worth, had a optimistic affect on audiences’ involvement. Additionally they obtained the first-ever empirical proof that emotional involvement with Okay-pop enhances two sub-dimensions of viewers involvement: referential reflection and behavioural involvement. Subsequently, the perceived worth of and emotional involvement with Okay-pop music amongst Western audiences play a vital function in enhancing general Okay-pop music experiences
, the authors inform us.
Additional confirming the researchers’ hypotheses, the perceived consumption worth of Okay-pop music was discovered to not directly have an effect on vacationers’ precise behavioural intentions by means of viewers involvement. Music performs a considerable function in fostering familiarity with the music’s nation of origin
, the researchers report, and in driving the intention to devour its merchandise or journey throughout the nation
. This discovering has an necessary implication: Okay-pop music may not be restricted to growing vacationers’ purchasing and journey intentions associated to Okay-pop music, however might additionally have an effect on their general perceived familiarity with Korea and their willingness to devour Korean meals
, say the researchers.
These novel insights into the connection between Okay-pop music consumption and tourism have essential sensible implications for stakeholders within the tourism trade. Vacation spot advertising and marketing organisations in Korea ought to contemplate find out how to successfully capitalize on Okay-pop music in tourism improvement and advertising and marketing
, say the researchers. This might embody creating video clips of potential tourism locations to advertise locations which can be unfamiliar to world vacationers, in addition to growing tailored advertising and marketing methods and meals menus that combine Okay-pop music tradition and Korean traditions into their merchandise
.
Providing the first-ever empirical insights into the intricate relationships between Okay-pop consumption worth, viewers involvement and vacationer behavioural intentions, this analysis supplies a useful reference for vacation spot entrepreneurs and tourism companies. Understanding how Okay-pop music not directly influences journey intentions can information tourism organisations to leverage this world musical phenomenon to draw and retain guests – with important implications for vacation spot competitiveness and tourism restoration within the wake of COVID-19.
As a ultimate word, the researchers level out that neither intercourse, age nor ethnicity affected the perceived consumption worth of music or its penalties for vacationer behaviour. Music can play a important function in creating significant relationships and social bonds amongst music followers no matter socio-cultural, spiritual, and political variations
, they conclude.
Kim, Seongseop (Sam), Kim, Sangkyun, and Wong, Antony King Fung. (2023). Music-induced Tourism: Korean Pop (Okay-pop) Music Consumption Values and Their Penalties. Journal of Vacation spot Advertising and marketing & Administration, Vol. 30, 100824.
About PolyU Faculty of Lodge and Tourism Administration
For 45 years, the Faculty of Lodge and Tourism Administration (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic College has refined a particular imaginative and prescient of hospitality and tourism schooling and develop into a world-leading resort and tourism college. Ranked No. 1 on the planet within the «Hospitality and Tourism Administration» class in ShanghaiRanking’s International Rating of Educational Topics 2024 for the eighth consecutive 12 months; positioned No. 1 globally within the «Commerce, Administration, Tourism and Companies» class within the College Rating by Educational Efficiency in 2023/2024 for seven years in a row; rated No. 1 on the planet within the «Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism» topic space by the CWUR Rankings by Topic 2017; and ranked No. 1 in Asia within the «Hospitality and Leisure Administration» topic space within the QS World College Rankings by Topic 2024, the SHTM is a logo of excellence within the area, exemplifying its motto of Main Hospitality and Tourism.
The Faculty is pushed by the necessity to serve its trade and educational communities by means of the development of schooling and dissemination of data. With a powerful worldwide staff of over 90 college members from 21 international locations and areas world wide, the SHTM affords programmes at ranges starting from undergraduate to doctoral levels. Via Lodge ICON, the Faculty’s groundbreaking educating and analysis resort and a significant facet of its paradigm-shifting method to hospitality and tourism schooling, the SHTM is advancing educating, studying and analysis, and provoking a brand new technology of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders within the hospitality and tourism trade.
Web site: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/shtm/.
Pauline Ngan
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