Abstract

Tourism gentrification, or the transformation of residential areas into tourist destinations, is an important issue worldwide. It generally affects only the original residents, who often choose to leave as a result of their neighborhood’s changing character or escalating rents. This study investigates how tourists’ perceived value of the gentrification experience influences their attitudes and responsible tourism intentions, and how their attitudes mediate these intentions. The structural equation model analysis in this study utilized data from 450 surveys completed by study participants from three areas in South Korea affected by tourism gentrification – Seo-chon, the Hongik University area, and Jeju Island. This study has four main findings. First, tourists’ perceived value of the tourism gentrification experience influences their attitudes and responsible tourism intentions; both functional and conditional values impact attitudes, with the latter having a greater impact. Second, attitudes influence responsible tourism conservation and participation intentions. Third, epistemic value influences responsible tourism conservation and participation intentions, while conditional value influences responsible tourism conservation intentions. Fourth, attitude has a mediating effect on the relationship between tourists’ perceived value of the experience and their responsible tourism intentions. This paper thus expands the study of tourism gentrification.