CELEBRITY FAN INVOLVEMENT AND DESTINATION PERCEPTIONS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which people's involvement with a celebrity affects their perceptions of tourism destinations (familiarity, image, and visitation intentions). An on-site survey visitation intentions). An on-site survey was conducted in Japan to examine Japanese' perceptions of Korea in relation to their involvement with Korean celebrities. The results corroborated several hypothesized relationships. Celebrity involvement positively affected familiarity and visitation intentions. The results also indicated destination images and familiarity were positively related to visitation intentions. This study furthers researchers' understanding to an emerging form of tourism whose creation is based on the powerful impacts of mass media and popular culture in post-industrial societies.