The Influence of Enduring Involvement on Tragedy-Related Tourism Experiences

This study examines the effect of enduring involvement (EI) on visitor experiences, including the benefit gained, in the context of tragedy-related tourism in South Korea. It also scrutinizes an important visitor characteristic of tragedy-related tourism experiences: “connection to the site or the tragic event.” Semi-structured interviews were conducted across three key informant groups: Jeju Islanders with some connection to the incident; Jeju Islanders with no connection to the incident; and non-Jeju Islanders. These data were used to form the basis of an analysis that indicates that the level of enduring involvement is related to the benefit gained from tragedy-related tourism or dark tourism experiences. Enduring involvement differs significantly by age, place of origin, and education level, although not by gender. The findings are informative for the effective development and management of tragic heritage tourism products and attractions in terms of segmentation of visitors, and for the understanding of visitor behaviors.