As the importance of destination's brand differentiation strategy is increasing, emotional and authentic storytelling in destination is becoming a growing source of competitive power and consider as an effective way to appeal to the tourists. The exis...
As the importance of destination's brand differentiation strategy is increasing, emotional and authentic storytelling in destination is becoming a growing source of competitive power and consider as an effective way to appeal to the tourists. The existing ones related to the effect of storytelling have tended to focus the digital-based storytelling and pedagogy and had the limit in the part of the tourism destination. Storytelling in Tourism is not about telling stories just for the sake of it. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the various functions served by tourism storytelling. Also, love mark start to receive attention due to expansion of the studies about brand emotion, but recognition about how it is gradually getting more important at the advertising and marketing level than the empirical study. Emotional approach to customer is a one of the strategy for customers in these days of emotional times.
Therefore, the purpose of the research is to analyze how storytelling attributes in tourism resources influence on awareness of brand value and love mark for tourism destination. This study establish the importance of emotion in the tourists-destination relationship and then review how to measure emotion based on the thinking included in "Love marks" Theory.
Also, it arranged the concept of Mindfulness which pays attention to the tourist attractions in destination and apply the mindfulness model to study. To achieve this purpose, the study was to identify composition variables of t storytelling, destination's brand value, and love marks through literature review and then empirical test was examined. The study suggested the effect of tourism storytelling on recognition of the brand value of the tourist attractions and their love mark and the control process of mindfulness by the study models and set the total 5 hypotheses and 10 sub-hypotheses.
As for sample to accomplish the study, total 600 questionnaires were distributed to the tourists who experienced tourism storytelling in Gyeongbokgung, Suwon Hwaseong Heanggung, Bulguksa and Nami Island from Jul. 18th, 2010 to Jul. 28th, 2010. And the experimental analysis was conducted with the valid 455 ones of the collected 572 ones. The survey material was analyzed by SPSS 18.0 statistical package and AMOS 18.0 statistical package. And the analytical result has found that order of emotion, education, description and interest which are the components of tourism storytelling has the positive (+) effect on the brand value of tourist attractions.
Also, it has found that only education and emotion of tourism storytelling in the their components statistically have the meaningful effect on love marks of tourist attractions. As it has done that awareness of the brand value of tourist attractions has the positive (+) effect on love marks of tourist attractions, the part that tourism storytelling can be utilized as the differentiation strategy of destination marketing was empirically verified. Finally, it has done that mindfulness of tourists plays the control role in the effect of tourism storytelling on recognition of the brand value of tourist destination and formation of love mark of tourist attractions.
This paper suggested the new study in the limited part of the ones related to the existing domestic tourist destination by verifying the control effect of mindfulness that the tourists pay attention to the tourist attractions. The studies on mindfulness of the tourists are not completed yet in the academic meaning or at the practical level. But it is meaningful in that it implies that value recognition of the good tourism resources can be insufficient unless there are no curiosity, openness and paying attention to acceptability.
The result drawn through the study has the following implications at the scientific level: First, the qualitative and quantitative growth of the relevant study field can be promoted by carrying out the conceptual approach of tourism storytelling and at the same time the approach in the differentiated strategic aspects of tourist attractions. Second, the opportunity which can expand the width of the studies related to brand of tourist destination by verifying the effect on awareness of the brand value of tourism destination and love marks was provided and it clarified the process to form it as their relationship which is emotionally connected to tourists. That is, it could carry out the structural approach about awareness of the brand value and formation of love mark of tourist attractions through tourism storytelling.
As for the practical level, it has shown that some elements in the various ones which consist of tourism storytelling have the positive effect on recognition of the brand value of tourist destination and love marks through its development and evaluation. To raise the brand value of tourist attractions, the value should be provided with their brand emphasizing the emotional, educational, regional unique stories and it will be utilized as the means of various marketing communication of tourist attractions.
Second, formation of the relationship of love mark of tourist attractions which form 'love' and 'respect' of various types based on trust about their fame provided the strategic clue to secure the continuous relationship and competitive edge with the growth of the tourism market and intensified competitiveness.
To overcome the limit which has shown as the study has been arranged, first, the study which can measure recognition of the brand value and the emotional relationship with tourists and tourist attractions before and after tourism storytelling, recognize the differences in the changes of recognition of their brand value and formation of love mark before and after it and clarify the practical structural relationship which can see its formation should be arranged.
Second, this study just carried out the control effect of mindfulness of tourists in the effect of tourism storytelling on recognition of the brand value of tourist attractions and their love mark. As the result, it could not grasp the components in the tourist attractions which can have the effect on mindfulness of tourists. The next studies which find preceding variables of mindfulness of tourists should be arranged by grasping the structural understanding that attention, concentration and awareness level of tourists are different.