Title: Queensland as a golf tourism destination: from South Korean market perspective

Authors: Alex Kim, Young-Sook Lee

Addresses: Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, PMB 50 Gold Coast Mail Centre, QLD 9726, Australia. ' Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, PMB 50 Gold Coast Mail Centre, QLD 9726, Australia

Abstract: Research into Special Interest Tourism (SIT) has been on the rise and this is far from a foreign phenomenon in South Korean tourism. This paper identifies similarities and differences in promotional themes for South Korean general and golf tourists to Queensland, Australia. Using tourist brochures and websites prepared for and used by the two different types of tourists, content and semiotic analyses were conducted. There was only one theme observed in common from the two sets of data from the study findings. Based upon some uniquely golf tourism-oriented characteristics, this paper provides implications for government and tourism marketers.

Keywords: South Korean tourists; golf tourism; Queensland; Australia; qualitative research; special interest tourism; South Korea; marketing; tourism policy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2009.023277

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2009 Vol.2 No.1/2, pp.124 - 137

Published online: 16 Feb 2009 *

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