Dark Tourism or Tourism in the Dark: Dream and Miracle Zone in Korea

Dark Tourism or Tourism in the Dark: Dream and Miracle Zone in Korea

Understanding tourist fs behavior is one of the most critical processes to enhance destination development. Although many studies have discussed and sought to understand the relationships among factors, such as the concepts of destination image, tourist motivation, place identity, and behavior of tourists, the findings of previous studies were very limited within specific topics. This study examines the relationships among critical factors, such as destination image, tourist motivation, place identity, engagement and further intentions at the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). Data was collectedfrom both international and domestic tourists at Imjingak in South Korea. The total sample count for this study involved 291 responses. The psychometric properties of the measurement model were assessed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the structural equation modeling (SEM) was examined to investigate the relationship among factors using AMOS/23.0. The results indicated that destination image has a direct influence on tourist motivation and place identity. Also, motivation and place identity have a direct influence on engagement while engagement has a direct influence on intention. A practical approach using these results can be useful in strategic planning for destination marketing and development.