In Golf Tourism, "Who Am I" Matters More Than Skill in Determining Visit Intentions

Professors Armigon and Yeji Kim of Dong-Eui University
Win Best Paper Award for Research on Self-Identity

According to a recent study, in tourism fields where personal interests and identity are strongly intertwined—such as golf tourism—'self-identity' is the key factor determining the intention to visit, outweighing general attitudes or societal norms.

Professor Armigon and Professor Yeji Kim of the Department of Global Hospitality Management at Dong-Eui Global University received the Best Paper Award at the ‘2026 International Academic Conference’ of the Korean Tourism and Leisure Society, held from September 4 to 6 at Hannam University in Daejeon.

At this academic conference, the two professors presented a paper titled "Rediscovering the Self: Self-Identity as the Core Driver of Visit Intention in High-Involvement Golf Tourism."

Professor Yeji Kim of Dong-Eui University (left) and Professor Armigon.

Recognized for their creativity and academic excellence, Professors Armigon and Yeji Kim were awarded the Best Paper Prize for their study. Their paper focused on the factors determining tourists’ intention to visit in "high-involvement tourism," where personal identity is strongly connected, as seen in golf tourism.

The research found that 'self-identity'—meaning how tourists perceive themselves—exerts a stronger influence on their intention to visit than general attitudes or social norms highlighted in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).

This suggests that tourists who relate golf to their own identity, rather than viewing it as a simple leisure activity or tourism commodity, are more likely to have a stronger intention to visit golf tourism destinations.

Based on these findings, the research team emphasized that tourism marketing and destination strategies should go beyond simply highlighting the benefits of tourism products or social ambiance. Instead, they should focus on approaches that connect tourists’ identities and experiences.

The Korean Tourism and Leisure Society, established in 1989, is a specialized academic association in the fields of tourism and leisure. It publishes the journal 'Tourism & Leisure Research,' hosts academic conferences and tourism forums both domestically and internationally, and contributes to the advancement of scholarship, industry, and policy in the tourism and leisure sectors.

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