관광지에 대한 심리적 거리에 영향을 미치는 요인에 관한 질적 연구

Qualitative Research on Factors Affecting Tourists Psychic Distance towards a Destination

Psychic distance is a subjective and comparative concept, which leads each individual to experience different levels of psychic distance towards identified constructs. Prior research suggests that psychic distance affects individual behaviour in various ways. Despite its significance, however, very little is known about factors which influence psychic distance in tourism. By utilizing qualitative research means, this study investigated attributes that affect tourists’ psychic distance impacted in overseas holiday experiences. With this aim, focus group interviews were conducted with South Korean tourists. This study used content analyses to analyze the interview data. Three main categories were identified as a result; trust, positive feelings, and knowledge on a destination. If the culture of a host country is considered as attractive, trustable, tourists tend to have less levels of psychic distance between home and the host country. Moreover, if tourists have more knowledge on a host country, they tend to feel less psychic distance. The respective implications of the findings of this study, suggestions for future research and limitations are discussed within.