Abukhalifeh, Alaa Nimer and Saad, Mazni and Ahmad, Siti Yuliandi and Husin, Nor Azilah
(2025)
Turning first-timers into repeat visitors: Motivational drivers to South Korea's regional tourism.
In: The 98th Tosok Gyeongbuk-Gyeongju International Tourism Conference, 28-31 July 2025, Commodore Hotel Gyeongju.
Abstract
Regional tourism and revisit intention have been highlithted as important research topics in the competitive market of tourism destinations. Despite the extensive amount of research on repeat visitors, it remains unclear why people undertake repeat visits and what kind of characteristics hold repeat visitors. This research aims to (1) Identify tourists' first impression and (2) identify factors K-Drama Scenery, K-Pop, K-Drama Celebrities, K-Cuisine, K-Beauty Product influencing revisit intention to South Korea. This study implements a mixed-methods design using an online survey on Google Forms, with 222 data collected, but only 196 data were usable. An open-ended question was asked to answer the first objective, and a structured instrument was used for the second objective. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to investigate tourists' impressions after the visit. Multiple linear regressions were used to investigate the strongest variable that explains the variance in revisit intention using IBM SPSS version 29. The qualitative results showed that Korean culture, such as K-Cuisine, K-Drama scenery, K-pop music, and K-Drama celebrities, leaves a strong impression on international tourists during their visits. The regression model showed 62% variance, which was explained by the revisit intention. The standardized beta coefficients revealed that Korean beauty products (beta = .314, t = 4.267, p <.001) and Korean cuisine (Beta = .251, t=3.372, p < .001) were the most influential predictors of revisit intention. Through the lens of international tourists, K-cuisine and K-beauty products are major factors influencing revisit intention, significantly shaping their strong desire to return to South Korea. This shift to cultural immersion through Hallyu encourages sustainable tourism, boosts local economies, fosters cross-cultural exchange, and redefines destination loyalty, challenging traditional tourism by focusing on repeat visits and deeper cultural connections.
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