Arts tourism in seoul tourist orientated performing arts as a sustainable niche market

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Arts tourism in Seoul: tourist-orientated
performing arts as a sustainable niche market
Charles C. Lim & Lawrence J. Bendle
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orientated performing arts as a sustainable niche market, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20:5,
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2. Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Vol. 20, No. 5, June 2012, 667–682
Arts tourism in Seoul: tourist-orientated performing arts as a
sustainable niche market
Charles C. Lima
and Lawrence J. Bendleb∗
a
Global Marketing Division, Korea Tourism Organisation, Seoul, Republic of Korea; b
College of
Hotel and Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
(Received 26 May 2010; final version received 22 October 2011)
This paper explores the complex relationships between inbound tourist markets, tourist-
orientated local performing arts productions and ways to counter the corrosive effects
of global cultural brands on local cultures. In Seoul, a survey analysed arts tourist
types, travel patterns, product recognition, decision-making, satisfaction and loyalty of
Chinese, Japanese, South-East Asian and western audience members at seven tourist-
orientated performing arts productions. Segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP)
analysis identified market segments aligned to audience nationality. Multiple regression
analysis and an analysis of moment structures (AMOS) examined the relationship be-
tween performance, service and satisfaction levels with the productions. Travel patterns
indicated arts-core tourists were more frequent among Chinese, Japanese and western-
ers; arts-peripheral tourists were more frequent among South-East Asians. Production
recognition showed that Japanese most often choose Seoul as a destination for watching
performing arts. Satisfaction with productions was highest among westerners; the qual-
ity of on-stage performance was most important for the audience loyalty overall. The
STP process identifies four market segments and niche marketing strategies for each;
sustainability guidelines are provided for the productions. This study demonstrates a link
between the sustainability of local culture and strategic market segmentation targeting
those specific niche markets which can support local products in cultural tourism’s arts
sector.
Keywords: cultural tourism; economic sustainability; product development; marketing;
performing arts; Korea
Introduction
This paper examines tourist-oriented theatre and musical productions as a sustainable and
strategic niche market for inbound tourists in South Korea. The mid-1990s recognition of
Korean TV, film and pop music across Asia, combined with the 2002 Korea–Japan FIFA
World Cup and 2004 “Visit Korea Year”, focused increased attention on local performing
arts productions as tourism products (Kim, Agrusa, Lee, & Chon, 2007; Kim, Long, &
Robinson, 2009; MCST, 2006). In 2002, Chinese and Japanese media described the rising
overseas popularity of Korean cultural exports as the “Korean Wave” or “hallyu” (Kim
et al., 2009). Beginning in China around 1996, hallyu spread to Japan, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and later to the Middle
East and both Americas (Korea Tourism Organisation [KTO], 2009a). This attractiveness
of Korean popular culture and celebrities boosted inbound tourism, with Asian visitor
∗
Corresponding author. Email: bendle@khu.ac.kr
ISSN 0966-9582 print / ISSN 1747-7646 online
C 2012 Taylor & Francis
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2011.636817
http://www.tandfonline.com

3. 668 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
numbers during 2003–2008 climbing 59% to 5.6 million (KTO, 2009b, 2009c), which
further popularised Korean computer games, digital products, cosmetic surgery, fashion,
make-up and performing arts. Clearly, as valorised by hallyu, these cultural products
resulting from South Korea’s successful experience of compressed modernity (Chang,
2010) – speedy economic, social and political change while keeping positive traditional
values – resonate within other late developing countries in Asia (Huang, 2009; Hudson,
Wang, & Gil, 2011). Thus, this fascination with South Korean culture across Asia improved
the touristic usefulness of Korean performing arts including both modern and traditionally
inspired dance, music and theatre (Kim et al., 2007; KTO, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c).
Responding to the hallyu trend, the KTO introduced a stimulus plan for commercialising
local musical and theatre productions, with their producers and interested travel agencies, as
niche products targeting the Asian tourism market (Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, 2008;
KTO, 2009a; MCST, 2006). Due to language barriers and South Korea’s experience with
compressed modernity, these productions were developed in several innovative formats.
These included shows of hybrid modern dance performances and visual theatre comedies
that do not rely on spoken scripts, and shows featuring modernised versions of traditional
Korean music, dance and folk theatre. Proving popular with the overseas tourists who
comprise most of their audiences, and with local people, the attendances at these touristic
productions reached about 520,000 in 2008. During 2009, seven productions using visual
theatre techniques such as movement, mime, gesture, acrobatics, circus skills, martial arts
and adaptations of traditional dance and music were playing nightly in small and medium
size venues in central Seoul (see Table 1). By 2010, an estimated 795,000 international
visitors would attend these or similar arts tourism productions in Seoul, a 10% yearly
increase over the last decade (KTO, 2009d).
Table 1. The seven Seoul-based tourist-orientated performing arts productions in 2009.
Show title Show style and theme Venue capacity
Nanta Non-verbal performance which is based on traditional
Korean music. It tells a hilarious story of cooks
preparing food for a wedding reception
704 seats
(2 venues)
MISO Traditional performing arts that highlight each genre of
traditional performance such as percussion quartets,
narrative songs, fan dancing and shamanistic dancing
320 seats
B-Boy Modern dance where the elegant movements of ballet meet
the powerful spins and kicks of break-dancing
360 seats
Jump! Dance musical combining martial arts, acrobatics and
comedy. The innovative show incorporates many of
Asia’s martial arts, including Korea’s Taekwondo and
Taekkyeon. It tells the story of a family of martial arts
specialists who are defending their house from robbers
380 sets
Break out Dance musical showcasing spectacular martial arts,
gymnastics and circus aerobatics, B-boy dancing, and
hilarious comedic moments. All blended together
innovatively and set to a catchy music soundtrack
280 seats
Sa-Choom Dance musical of various dance genres including hip-hop,
jazz, contemporary dance and break-dancing
288 seats
The Drawing Show Visual theatre and musical show combining visual art,
theatre and music in which performers complete
amazing large paintings on stage
188 seats

4. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 669
Nevertheless, limited knowledge of arts tourism marketing in Asia, confusion over
future demand and coordination issues among the governmental organisations, producers
and travel agencies raise doubts over the long-term sustainability of these distinct local
arts products. This is a state of affairs compounded by limited research into arts tourism in
Asia: research is limited to simple surveys conducted in Korea (MCST, 2006, 2008) and
in other Asian countries (Lindsay, 1995; UNESCO, 1971). Applying a strategic marketing
approach to tourism research (Dibb & Simkin, 2008; Evans, 2010; Moutinho, 2000) and to
the performing arts (Kotler & Scheff, 1997), this study addresses this issue in a threefold
analysis: firstly, by using Hughes’ (2000) typologies for art-related tourists and products;
secondly, by examining the travel patterns, recognition, decision-making, satisfaction and
loyalty associated with the productions; and thirdly, by providing segmented marketing
strategies and sustainability guidelines using these results. This challenge of sustaining
arts tourism in Korea occurs during the globalising of high profile cultural products and
large-scale cultural events that could displace local cultural traditions and innovations.
Global cultural brands versus sustainable local culture
Sustainable tourism management includes economic, social, cultural, political, managerial
and environmental concerns which need policy, planning and management responses pro-
moting equity and fairness in the use of limited resources for tourism purposes (Richards &
Hall, 2000). This requires harmonising a host community’s needs and wants with their vis-
itor’s expectations and demands while strengthening local environmental, economic, social
and cultural circumstances. There is a growing concern for local cultural sustainability in
the face of increasing global serial reproduction of culture that the international branches
of New York’s Guggenheim Museum and the annual European City of Culture event typify
(Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2009; Richards &
Wilson, 2006). Both of these are a means for revitalising urban environments by improving
their cultural identity; however, more and more places are using similar strategies. So,
Richards and Wilson assert that cultural innovations such as iconic buildings (Guggenheim
Bilbao), mega events (European City of Culture), thematisation (New York: world city)
and heritage mining (Florence) are decaying as useful economic development strategies.
For example, versions of the Guggenheim Museum experience are available in New York,
Venice, Bilbao, Berlin and Abu Dhabi (The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2011,
http://www.guggenheim.org/). And in the performing arts, versions of the Cirque du Soleil
circus arts experience are available as resident shows in Las Vegas and Orlando or at up
to seven productions touring globally (Cirque du Soleil, http://www.cirquedusoleil.com).
Thus, the borrowing, copying and franchising of cultural innovations eventually undermines
these high-profile cultural tourism products’ uniqueness as access opportunities to world
cultural brands increase progressively. Eventually, they become commoditised and distin-
guished more by price, leading to these relatively available and more affordable worldwide
cultural brands competing against local cultures and their expressions in the visual and
performing arts. Moreover, the challenge of sustaining local cultures increases when large
public investment in art museums and performing arts centres fosters cultural districts with
high commercial rents targeted at global retail franchises and provides few, if any, low-rent
spaces for local cultural products.
Against this background, cultural tourism’s rapid growth (OECD, 2009; Richards, 2007)
could reinforce a general similarity among the cultural initiatives (Richards & Wilson, 2006)
that regions set up for increasing their economic attractiveness and which can displace local
authenticity. Richards (OECD, 2009), however, suggests that successful culture and tourism

5. 670 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
partnerships happen when regional leadership supports long-term vision, positioning, part-
nership arrangements and innovative products. He argues:
There is a need to identify more specific niche markets which have an interest in specific
products in the region. As the competition to attract cultural tourist increases, it is vital to give
people a specific reason to visit a destination which relates to their interests. In many cases this
involves identifying niche products that can be sold to specific target segments (OECD, 2009,
p. 57).
Fortunately, cultural tourism and tourists include diverse sub-categories suitable for
niche market development. Smith’s (2009) cultural tourism typology lists seven categories
and 43 related places, activities and attraction types which she simplifies into four cultural
tourism sectors: arts, creative, heritage and indigenous. Similarly, Barbieri and Mahoney
(2010), McKercher (2002), Richards (1996) and Stebbins (1996), among others, classify
various cultural tourist sub-types which provide a basis for developing target segments to
whom cultural tourism products are marketable. By analysing European cultural tourism,
Richards (1996) identified specific cultural tourists for whom visiting particular cultural
attractions was an important motivator for destination choices, and general cultural tourists
who had a broad interest in culture but lacked this motive. A latent class model developed
for measuring cultural activities’ attractiveness in 19 European capital cities among
university students (Van der Ark & Richards, 2006) extends this typology. It recognises
“a potential market for city cultural tourism” composed of those people who only visit
other cities occasionally but find cultural offerings engaging when they do. Stebbins’
(2007) serious leisure perspective separates cultural tourism from mass tourism because
the preoccupations of cultural tourists motivate them to acquire specialist knowledge
and develop skills to appreciate and access places of cultural interest. Stebbins (1996)
identifies cultural tourists as types of hobbyists who are either specialised because of their
preoccupations with particular sites and cultural practices, or generalised because of their
interests in many sites and practices, or as cultural dabblers.
McKercher (2002) takes a segmentation approach to differences in the cultural tourism
market concentrated on two dimensions of cultural tourists’ behaviour: the importance of
cultural motives in their destination selections and the depth of their experiences at cultural
sites. This led to a model identifying five cultural tourist types including purposeful,
sightseeing, casual, incidental or serendipitous. Also, McKercher, Ho, Cros, and So-Ming
(2002), using activities-based segmentation, identified six segments among Hong Kong
cultural tourists including cultural generalists, icon culturalist, Chinese heritage culturalist,
Tsim Sha Tsui nodal culturalist, colonial culturalist or Sino-colonial culturalist. Recently,
Barbieri and Mahoney (2010) identify sporadic, univores and omnivores as three market
segments among the audience attending live performing arts events during one year at
a US performing arts centre. These multiple typologies recognize cultural tourism and
tourists’ heterogeneity (McKercher et al., 2002). This supports Richards’ argument (OECD,
2009) for discovering niche products and target segments which provide solutions to the
sustainability challenges facing local cultures. Achieving that, however, demands typologies
and segmentation processes suitable for finding specific marketing strategies. Peters, Siller
and Matzler (2011) describe a pair of competing approaches to the marketing strategy
making process in cultural tourism.
Arts-related tourists and products
Hughes’ (2000) sectorised view of cultural tourism that winnows down the expansiveness
of cultural tourism typologies discussed above is useful in this study because it focuses

6. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 671
on arts tourism. It comprises several sectors drawn from a wider version encompassing
the architecture, arts and crafts, food, dress, language, work, religion and traditions found
at a destination. These include an arts tourism sector of theatre, art, music and poetry
which attract kinds of arts-related tourists to types of art-related tourism products and a
heritage tourism sector of historical sites, monuments, castles and churches. Hughes (2000)
concentrates on the performing arts including plays, musicals, opera, ballet, orchestral
concerts, singers, comedians, dancers and rock and pop concerts. But, in contrast to the
number of studies on heritage sites, museums, art galleries and castles as constituent parts
of cultural tourism, these performing arts have received less research attention. Adapting
Hughes’ approach in this study, niche arts tourism markets include the traditional and
modern western artistic canons found in dance, film, music, opera and theatre; indigenous
cultural performances; and innovative cultural forms emerging in late developing countries.
Hughes’ (2000) model of arts tourism classifies tourists’ levels of interest in the arts
along dimensions of cultural intent and of cultural interest. This identifies tourists attend-
ing a theatre as either arts-core or as arts-peripheral. In the arts-core category along the
cultural intent dimension, the choice before departure to attend the performance as the
key reason for their trip classifies them as “primary” arts-core tourists. If they have other
important reasons for their trip, this classifies them as “multi-primary” arts-core tourists.
In the arts-peripheral category, if they had another reason for the trip and make the choice
before departure to attend a performance, this classifies them as “incidental” arts-peripheral
tourists. If they lack interest in the performance before departure and decide to attend after
their arrival, this classifies them as “accidental” arts-peripheral tourists. Their interest in
culture and the trips’ purpose further distinguishes arts-related tourists. Along the cultural
interest dimension, tourists can have either a specific knowledge about particular styles,
productions and performers or a general awareness of the arts. Primary and multi-primary
arts-related tourists could have a specific cultural interest in productions and performers,
while incidental and accidental arts-related tourists could have a general cultural interest.
The model separates both arts-core and arts-peripheral tourists by the purpose of their trip
for holiday reasons or for non-holiday reasons such as visiting friends and relatives or
business.
Arts-related tourism products lack art form specificity and in the performing arts include
“Any play, show, concert, festival etc. that has the potential to attract audiences from a
geographical area that is non local (arts-core or arts-peripheral) is an element of the arts-
related product” (Hughes, 2000, p. 78). These products are classifiable in several ways.
Firstly, by tourist orientation, this is strong when designed with tourists in mind and weak
when preoccupied with artistic standards. Secondly, by tourism drawing power, this is strong
when the production is unique with limited availability or weak when isolated among other
tourist attractions. Thirdly, a product is an attraction when it prompts the decision to visit
the destination or it is an amenity when it increases the destination’s overall appeal and
the likelihood of tourists visiting. A combination of arts tourism typologies and market
segmentation processes was applied in the study context to identify niche markets for the
tourist-orientated productions in Seoul.
Methods
Data collection and analysis
A survey identified the travel patterns, the recognition paths and the satisfaction levels
with the productions among the international audience attending seven tourism-orientated
productions in Seoul. Data were collected between March and early May 2009 from

7. 672 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
non-Korean tourists who watched one of seven productions: Nanta, Miso, B-Boy, Jump,
Break Out, Sa-Choom and Drawing Show (see Table 1). These productions were chosen
because of their touristic orientation as compared with other local productions which target
Korean audiences only. Also, for identifying special interest tourism trends in the arts, the
KTO has collected attendance numbers at the seven venues by drawing on their sales and
revenue figures that were prepared for taxation purposes (see Table 2). Conducted at the
theatres for each production, the survey used 27 questions in four sections for collecting
data on trip characteristics, preliminary decisions for choice of production, performance
reviews and demographic information. A copy of the questionnaire can be found as an
Appendix in the online version of this paper.
The questionnaires, in various languages, were distributed to 3500 audience members
at the seven productions. A sample of 2279 or a 65% rate of return was obtained. Data were
coded and processed using the Statistics Package for Social Science 15.0. The KTO and
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have utilised similar questionnaires for foreign
visitor surveys at the seven performing arts venues offering tourist-orientated productions
(KTO, 2009d; MCST, 2008). Descriptive analysis provided the segmentation, targeting and
positioning process (STP) for identifying the travel patterns of the sample and the recogni-
tion paths for the performing arts productions. A multiple regression analysis provided the
satisfaction levels, intent to revisit and the intent to recommend to others by analysing in-
dependent variables of the contents of the performances, the convenience of the facility and
service quality. And an SPSS AMOS (analysis of moment structures) analysis explained
the relationship between loyalty and the satisfaction levels with the performance, facilities
and service at the performing arts productions.
Segmentation, targeting and positioning
Evans (2010) suggests that a strategic marketing approach is useful in tourism because
older businesses need a makeover and new businesses want novel skills for promoting
niche products and the emerging market segments they target. A key approach is “STP
marketing” or “Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning” (Kotler, 2003; O’Guinn, Allen, &
Semenik, 2009). A business identifies their market’s segments, targets one or more segments
and positions products and their marketing to attract customers in one or more segments
(Dibb & Simkin, 2008; Kotler & Scheff, 1997; Steenkamp & Hofstede, 2002). Moreover,
when preparing marketing strategies, businesses sometimes use STP marketing that maps
the market segments on to a two-dimensional product/market matrix (Bowen, 1998; Kotler,
2003). Examples include Ansoffs’ growth vector matrix, the Boston Consulting Group
growth-share matrix and the GE/McKinsey multi-factor matrix (Hambrick, MacMillan, &
Day, 1982; Proctor, 2000). Targeting and positioning market segments involves discovering
how consumers feel about the product, and some researchers have used tourist characteris-
tics as segmentation variables (Bloom, 2004; Faullant, Matzler, & F¨uller, 2008; Mykletun,
Crotts, & Mykletun, 2001; Nyaupane, 2006). Here, the STP used descriptive analysis of
travel patterns, decision-making and satisfaction levels combined with nationality and au-
dience size for recognizing market segments among the sample. Using the mean value of a
5-point Likert scale, the ranking on 11 items provided STP values for market segmentation
and audience numbers. Thus, the lower STP values equate with better the possibility for
success as an arts tourism market, as detailed in Table 2 and mapped in Figure 1.
Multiple regression analysis and AMOS
The multiple regression analysis of overall satisfaction levels, the intent to revisit and
the intent to recommend to others provided guidelines for promoting local productions

8. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 673
Table2.STPprocess∗
andsegmentation.
InboundtouristcountriesJapanEurope/AmericaMalaysiaHongKongChinaTaiwanSingaporeThailand
Decision-makingprocess
FavouriteprogrammesNVNVTPTPTPTPNVTP
MotivationPTGCTITGTITGTI
AccompaniedFRTGFRTGTGTGTGTG
Decision-makerSTISTITITITITI
PurchasingpathITTATBTATATATGTG
Pre-recognitionchannelsITTAFRTATATATATA
RecognitionchannelsFRTGFRTITGTITITI
Recognitionlevel31845276
Audience(2+)15382476
Travelpatterns
Visitforperformingarts25318674
Destinationselection13846257
Visitfrequency(2+)17582364
Lengthofstay74152638
Satisfactionlevels
Performance16235478
Facilities75123468
Service34126578
Impression42163758
Overallsatisfaction43166725
MarketSegmentation
STPValue∗∗
3434454849506272
2008Audience∗∗∗
215,00021,00010,00014,00018,000150,00020,00010,000
MarketMatureGrowingDevelopingDevelopingDevelopingPotentialDevelopingDeveloping
Arts-coretourist
percentage
9%7%5%1%11%2%1%5%
Notes:C:Culturalexperience,FR:Friendsandrelatives,IT:Internet,P:Preference,S:Self-determined,NV:Non-verbal,TA:Travelagency,TB:Ticketbox,TG:Tour
guide,TI:Touritinerary,TP:Traditionalperformance.
∗Numbers1–8:countryrankings;∗∗Lowerthevaluemoreproperthemarketforperformingarts;∗∗∗Source:KTO,2009d.

9. 674 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
as an arts-related tourism product. As the dependent variables, these factors each had
three independent variables: performance, facilities and service. The multiple regression
process identified relationships among six variables to find the satisfaction levels for the
productions and the essential factor for increasing the audience numbers at these shows.
The first multiple regression result (type 1) for overall satisfaction level showed that three
independent variables have 27.9% (R2
) of explanation. The significance level p < 0.05
showed that the regression model is fit in the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Of the
three variables in the Coefficients, only “performance” has the proper β value 0.491 (p <
0.05) which explains that the performance has an impact on the overall satisfaction level.
The second multiple regression result (type 2) for intent to revisit showed that the three
independent variables have a 33.3% (R2
) of explanation. The significance level p < 0.05
shows the regression model is fit in ANOVA and all three variables shown in the Coefficients
have the proper β value and significance level: performance, β value 0.430 (p < 0.05);
facilities, β value 0.073 (p < 0.05); and service, β value 0.133 (p < 0.05). Among the three
variables, “performance” has the highest impact on the intent to revisit. The third multiple
regression result (type 3) for the intent to recommend showed that the three independent
variables have a 36.8% (R2
) of explanation. The significance level p < 0.05 showed that the
regression model is fit in ANOVA and two variables shown in the Coefficients have proper
β values and significance levels: performance, β value 0.483 (p < 0.05) and service, β
value 0.164 (p < 0.05). Thus “performance” influences the “intent to recommend” more
than “service” does.
An AMOS provides a more correct model than the standard multivariate statistics
or multiple regression models alone (Arbuckle, 1996). This research applied AMOS 7
for assessing loyalty towards the productions by analysing the variables of performance,
facilities and service used in the multiple regressions. AMOS needs four steps: factor
analysis, reliability analysis, test for goodness-of-fit and influence verification. The factor
analysis classified the 15 variables into four groups:
• “Performance” (component 1): quality of storyline, effectiveness of story delivery,
quality of actors’ performance and stage design;
• “Service” (component 2): reasonableness of ticket price, accessibility of venue loca-
tion, appropriateness of performance time and professionalism of service staff;
• “Facilities” (component 3): modernity of facilities and interior, convenient use and
availability, availability and clarity of signs and comfort and cleanliness;
• “Loyalty” (component 4): intent to revisit, intent to recommend and overall satisfac-
tion.
This classification of the 15 variables into four groups supports the proper selection of
AMOS factors. The reliability analysis showed the four variables, which the factor analysis
classified, that had reliable alpha values of more than 0.6. Also, by having an acceptable
value range (values of default model) for the six indicators, a test for goodness-of-fit showed
the AMOS was tested properly. The last step for the AMOS process was corroborating the
influence as tested by the regression weights, and with regression weights of the C.R > 1.96,
the model was fit. The results showed that the two factors “performance” and “service”
had a valid influence on the loyalty (type 1). Given the result from type 1, the standardised
regression weight revealed that “performance” (0.553) has more influence than “service”
(0.161) on loyalty (type 2).

10. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 675
Results
Arts tourists and travel patterns
Cultural intent was gauged by asking if the visit purpose was for watching performing
arts and if they had selected Seoul as a destination for watching performing art produc-
tions. Travel pattern analysis using Hughes’ (2000) typology classifies 5.7% of audience
members as arts-core tourists for whom attending performing arts productions was a key
reason for their trip and 94.3% as arts-peripheral tourists who had other reasons for their
trip. Chinese, Japanese and Europeans and Americans had high arts-core tourist numbers
at 11%, 9%, and 7%, respectively. Malaysians and Thais had moderate numbers at 5%
each; and Taiwanese, Hong Kongers and Singaporeans had low numbers at 2%, 1% and
1%, respectively. Extrapolated to 2008 estimates of international tourists attending local
productions in Seoul (519,000), roughly 30,000 foreign arts-core tourists visited Korea in
that year. Of these, around 19,000 were Japanese and 5000 were Europeans or North Amer-
icans. By demographic distribution, females and those aged 40–50s had a strong desire for
watching local productions. Japanese tourists were top (39%) in selecting Korea as a tourist
destination for watching performing arts and showed a visiting frequency of 3.1 times in
their travel histories to date. Overall, Japanese, Chinese and Hong Kongers had positive
travel patterns about the performing arts.
Arts tourists’ production recognition and decision-making
The decision-making process explains characteristics of visitor’s behaviour related to pre-
ferred production types, recognition of performing arts, pre-recognition channels, recogni-
tion channels, motivation, accompany with, decision-making, purchasing path and watching
frequency (see Table 2). Selecting Seoul as a destination for watching performing arts pro-
ductions was highest among the Japanese, followed by the Taiwanese, Malaysians, Chinese,
Singaporeans, Hong Kongers and Europeans, and North Americans. The shows featuring
traditional Korean performing arts were a preferred production type (32%), which 45%
of Hong Kongers ranked first. Around half of the sample did not recognise performing
arts as a tourist product in Korea, although 15% did, with Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians
and Taiwanese showing a higher recognition rate. Those who recognised the performing
arts as a tourism product before departure (arts-core and incidental arts-peripheral tourists)
gained their information about productions in Seoul from a travel agency (43%) and the
Internet (26%). Those aged 40 and older and the self-employed depended on information
from travel agencies more.
The respondents (accidental arts-peripheral tourists) who did not recognise the perform-
ing arts before departure used other channels for information, mostly from a travel itinerary
(31%), a tour guide (30%) and friends (16%). Hong Kongers and Malaysians gained in-
formation from tour guides, while other South-East Asian nationalities and Chinese relied
more on their travel itineraries. Reasons for watching the productions included tour guide
recommendations (25%), travel itinerary inclusions (22%), friend’s recommendations and
personal preferences (12%). When watching a production, respondents typically accompa-
nied a tour group (40%), friends (24%) or family members (20%). The decision to watch
a production was influenced by inclusion in the travel programme strongly (48%) and
by self-determined reasons moderately (23%). The common purchasing paths were tour
package inclusion (38%) or through a tour guide (30%), and respondents usually watched
one performance (70%), although among the Japanese, nearly half (47%) watched two
performances or more.

11. 676 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
Arts tourists’ satisfaction levels
Among the factors that showed the satisfaction level, “impression” showed the highest
score (4.14) on a 5-point Likert scale. In the “impression” factor, respondents with the
intent of recommending the productions to others ranked first (4.22) with Europeans and
North Americans showing higher impression scores. Under the satisfaction level for “per-
formance”, the quality of actors’ performance recorded a high satisfaction (4.35), with
audience members aged in their 40s and housewives showing high-level satisfaction in all
areas. The “facilities” consisting of four items showed the lowest satisfaction level. Among
the service quality items, the professionalism of service staff showed the highest score
(3.94). Generally, Europeans and North Americans showed higher satisfaction levels than
Asian nationalities (see Table 2) as did male audience members compared with females.
Local productions: loyalty and performance
The multiple regression results prove that of the three dependent variables, “performance”
is the important common cause for overall satisfaction level, intent to revisit and intent
to recommend to others. On the other hand, “service” influences the intent to revisit and
the intent to recommend to others but less than “performance”, and “facilities” influences
the intent to revisit only. Four factors make up “performance” with the quality of actors’
performance showing the highest satisfaction level while quality of the storyline had the
lowest. The AMOS showed the structure of the dependent variable of loyalty which three
independent variables influence and its standardised weight value confirmed the multiple
regression results. These results imply that arts tourists are influenced more by the perfor-
mance than by the theatre facilities or service so their loyalty arises from their experience
of the intrinsic production values such as the performers’ quality, the storylines and stage
designs.
Arts tourist market segmentation
The three segmenting, targeting and positioning factors of travel patterns, decision-making
process and satisfaction levels classified the markets (see Table 2). For market segmentation
with the audience numbers, the rankings on 11 items were converted into an STP value.
The mean values of a 5-point Likert scale provided a country ranking for each item. In this
case, the lower STP values are the superior markets for the seven productions: 34: Japanese;
34: European and North American; 45: Malaysian; 48: Hong Kongers; 49: Chinese; 50:
Taiwanese; 62: Singaporean; and 72: Thais. Applying a strategic niche marketing matrix
with a vertical dimension of STP value and a horizontal dimension of audience size divides
the market into four segments (see Figure 1):
• The Japanese are a mature market of independent travellers, friends and relatives
and arts-core tourists. They are the largest segment by nationality with the highest
number (19,350) and second-highest percentage of arts-core tourists (9%). Overall,
their cultural interest was in the modern productions which they recognised through
friend’s recommendations and via the Internet, which they used for bookings also.
Usually, their cultural incentive was a personal preference for this show type that
they attended with friends, sometimes twice or more.
• The Europeans and North Americans are a growing market with the second-highest
number (3710) and third-highest percentage of arts-core tourists (7%). Their cultural

12. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 677
interest was in the productions inspired by traditional Korean performances, which
they recognised on the advice of their friends. Their cultural incentive was based on
seeking a cultural experience that they attended with friends once during their visit,
and for which they purchased box office tickets.
• The Taiwanese are a potential market with the possibility of being a growing market.
They are the second-largest segment by nationality with the third-highest number
(3000) and third-lowest percentage of arts-core tourists (2%). Their cultural interest
was also in the traditional content productions which they recognised on the advice
of their travel agent. They attended with their guide and tour members using tickets
included in their tour itinerary.
• The South-East Asian nationalities and the Chinese are developing markets that
need intensive advertising to become a potential market. Combined, the Chinese,
Malaysians and Hong Kongers numbered 42,000. At 11%, the Chinese ranked highest
(1980 of 18,000) of the art-core tourists in the sample, and Malaysians and Hong
Kongers had 5% and 1%, respectively. The cultural interests for the Chinese and
Hong Kongers were the traditional content productions and for Malaysians, the
modern productions, which all three recognized from their travel agents’ advice.
They attended with their tour guides and tour members with tickets included in their
itinerary. Together, the Thais and Singaporeans numbered 30,000 with 5% and 1%
arts-core, respectively. The cultural interest for Thais was the traditionally inspired
Figure 1. Strategic niche marketing matrix for the local tourist-orientated performing arts produc-
tions in Seoul.

13. 678 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
productions and for Singaporeans, the modern productions. Recognition, attendance
and ticketing were similar to the other tourists travelling in groups.
Discussion
Hughes’ (2000) aspects for classifying arts tourism products were effective for identifying
the seven productions’ characteristics. These had strong tourist orientations, as they were
produced with the tourist market in mind and have a strong tourism drawing power owing
to the limited availability of continually running Korean productions elsewhere. They are
attractions for the small numbers of arts-core tourists for whom they were a deciding reason
in destination choice and an amenity for most arts-peripheral incidental tourists who usually
included them in their group tour itineraries. The productions had strong tourist orientation
and drawing power and were a valuable amenity for the destination brand. Maintaining
these productions in the long term needs strategic marketing that focuses on the various
market segments among inbound tourists and sustainability guidelines which focus on the
local tourist-orientated productions.
STP and strategic marketing strategies
Arts tourists are a valuable niche market for inbound Korean tourism which is seeking
a diversity of tourism choices. The local tourist-orientated shows in Seoul are important
cultural products building on Korea’s image as a prosperous and successful nation in
North-East Asia as valorised in hallyu cultural exports. The mix of modern and traditional
tourist-orientated productions in Seoul attracts arts-core and arts-peripheral international
tourists. Classifying tourists by cultural intent and of cultural interest was effective in
distinguishing those who had core or peripheral awareness of the arts. This is valuable with
a STP analysis when formulating marketing strategies. A larger volume of arts-peripheral
tourists pushes for staging shows with broad appeal with accessible storylines, high quality
production values and a light entertainment style of comedy, dance and music. A smaller
volume of arts-core tourists pushes for staging shows which complement and extend the
artistic and entertainment values of successful mainstream productions. As mapped out in
Figure 1, the STP process identifying the various segments in this market gives producers,
government agencies and tour operators opportunities for strategic marketing strategies that
position specific products with specific target segments (OECD, 2009). As these following
four examples demonstrate:
• The mature market segment of independent Japanese travellers supports modern
productions and they need new shows that encourage repeat visits, upgraded theatre
facilities and services, improved communication channels and better online reser-
vation services. Marketing opportunities exist for premium quality accommodation,
performance and shopping packages targeted at the Japanese arts-core tourists that in-
clude special treatment at theatres and ticketing choices for productions with Korean
traditional performing arts content.
• The growing market segment of Europeans and North Americans needs marketing
focusing on traditional performances based around a cultural experience theme that
recognition channels and reservation services can reinforce by offering products
combining Korean cuisine dinners and traditional shows.
• The potential market segment of Taiwanese group travellers who attend traditional
performances requires cooperative marketing between their travel agencies and

14. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 679
guides that encourages attendance at more than one show. Travel itineraries could
offer ticketing to multiple performances including the modern productions.
• The developing market segment of Hong Kongers and Malaysians, Chinese, Sin-
gaporeans and Thais are group travellers attending traditional performances. Using
hallyu themes their marketing strategy should focus on both production types and
the travel agencies and guides should promote the productions as prestige and fun
inclusions to travel itineraries.
Sustainability guidelines for local tourist-orientated productions
Based on the analysis of travel patterns, production recognition, decision-making, satisfac-
tion levels, performance characteristics and loyalty, there are three sustainability guidelines
for these local tourist-orientated arts productions in Seoul:
• Improve the communication channels. Firstly, by changing accidental arts-peripheral
tourists to incidental status before they leave home through improvements to com-
munication channels (pre-recognition and recognition) that highlight local tourist-
orientated productions as a fun and prestigious ingredient of a hallyu-style experience.
Secondly, by increasing attention on the arts-core tourists communication channels
and offering incentives such as premium tickets to multiple productions, preferred
seating, meeting and greeting at theatres, special souvenirs and photo opportunities
with the performers. Thirdly, by cross-marketing of both the modern and the tradi-
tional performances by offering incentives for combined ticketing arrangements that
stress the modern productions as expressing Korea’s successful modernity and the
traditional productions as expressing time-honoured values.
• Refresh the intrinsic and extrinsic production qualities. This encompasses the pro-
duction merits of the on-stage performance and the quality of front-of-house service.
The intrinsic qualities include the standard of the performers, the storylines and
the stage designs which should surpass arts-core tourists’ expectations and create
excitement among arts-peripheral tourists. Extrinsic qualities include improving the
amenities and services at theatres that lift the impression levels among Asian audience
members.
• Support the creative milieu. Firstly, by recognising that a production’s authenticity and
appeal arises creatively from the intangible cultural assets of performers, technical
crew, designers and directors. Secondly, by prioritizing the sustaining of this creative
milieu through marketing that targets the arts-core and arts-peripheral tourists within
various market segments that will support new and innovative productions as the
shows come and go.
Conclusions
What emerges from this study is the link between local cultural sustainability and strategic
market segmentation which targets the specific niche markets that can support local arts
products. Yet, as STP strategies need tailoring to their context, there are not one-size-fits-all
solutions for sustaining a local culture by intertwining it with cultural tourism because
the products and markets are unique to each local setting. Combining cultural tourism
typologies with strategic marketing provides a means for analysing the niche markets in
local cultural tourism sectors. It is, however, a method for arriving at site-specific solutions,
not an end in itself. To strengthen arts tourism, this site-specific approach can be explored by

15. 680 C.C. Lim and L.J. Bendle
further research into local arts products and into more complex arts products that mix local
and non-local ingredients. For example, arts and music festivals (e.g. Adelaide, Singapore,
or Glyndebourne in the UK), military tattoos (e.g. Edinburgh or Quebec City) and visual
arts biennales (e.g. Gwangju in Korea, Kobe, or Sao Paulo).
The specificity of this study that dealt with tourist-orientated performing arts pro-
ductions in Seoul and their international audiences is a limitation. On the other hand,
understanding the specificity of niche markets and their desire for particular arts experi-
ences is at the core of actions that could strengthen the sustainability of local cultures.
This localness is partly spatially delimited and partly imagined by the people who share
a common way of life, ethos and world view (Salazar, 2010), for example, Seoul and
the compressed modernity experienced by South Koreans. Therefore, the intertwining of
local culture and culture tourism needs strategic marketing and sustainability guidelines
that reflect local circumstances, which this paper achieves by partnering Hughes’ (2000)
arts tourism typology with STP marketing (Kotler & Scheff, 1997). In different contexts,
however, partnering another cultural tourism typology (e.g. Barbieri & Mahoney, 2010;
McKercher, 2002; McKercher et al., 2002; Richards, 1996; Stebbins, 1996) with a strategic
marketing process (e.g. Kotler & Scheff, 1997) could bring forward particular commer-
cial mechanisms for sustaining local cultural products in that particular creative, heritage
or indigenous sector. In this way, site-specific cultural tourism marketing initiatives can
support local cultures. Thus, a patchwork of local cultural products created by marketing
that matches specific cultural tourist segments with specific cultural products in specific
regions (OECD, 2009) could counter the corrosive effects of global cultural brands on local
cultures.
This work also illustrates several broader themes. The first is the complex role of
tourism in sustaining local cultures, landscapes and communities, noted for example by
Lane (1994, p. 106) in rural tourism. But, secondly, as many writers have noted, and this
paper confirms, conservation and modernity should not be separated. In the arts espe-
cially, new developments are essential, in themselves as supporters of the vibrancy and
relevance of the arts, and in supporting interest in traditional performances (Tusa, 2000).
Thirdly, the techniques employed in this paper could – with care – be used to research
and improve the marketing strategies for many related arts and heritage niche market
products, such as the small-scale cultural attractions discussed by McKercher and Ho
(2006). Finally, this paper shows the value of carefully designed marketing studies as
integral parts of the development and management of sustainable tourism, an area cur-
rently receiving increased research attention (Chhabra, 2009; Pomering, Noble, & Johnson,
2011).
Notes on contributors
Charles C. Lim is Deputy Director at the New Delhi Office of the Korea Tourism Organisation. He has
a PhD in the field of Tourism Management from the University of Queensland. His research interests
include tourism marketing, sustainable cultural and heritage tourism, sports tourism and sustainable
tourism for island communities.
Lawrence J. Bendle in an Assistant Professor in the School of Tourism at the College of Hotel
and Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University, Korea. He has a PhD in the field of Tourism
Management from the University of Queensland. His research interests include community-based
arts and tourism, sustainable cultural and heritage tourism, tourism systems in Asia, and serious
leisure.

16. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 681
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