Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts

While tourism boycotts can have a considerable economic impact on a target entity, critics often question their effectiveness in changing the target entity’s behavior, particularly in international contexts. Despite these challenges, tourism boycotts have increased over time. This study explores the...

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Main Authors: Minkyung Park, Hochan Jang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Tourism and Hospitality
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/5/4/72
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author Minkyung Park
Hochan Jang
author_facet Minkyung Park
Hochan Jang
author_sort Minkyung Park
collection DOAJ
description While tourism boycotts can have a considerable economic impact on a target entity, critics often question their effectiveness in changing the target entity’s behavior, particularly in international contexts. Despite these challenges, tourism boycotts have increased over time. This study explores the dynamics of tourism boycotts amid international political conflicts and investigates the motivations behind consumer participation. During an ongoing national boycott in South Korea, we conducted an online survey with a nationally representative adult panel, gathering 962 responses for analysis. Our findings reveal that tourism boycott participants—primarily women, older individuals, those with higher education and income, and the progressive—resemble consumer boycott participants in Europe and the U.S. While perceived efficacy (instrumental motivation) is often emphasized in consumer boycotts as a key variable for participation, our study suggests that tourism boycotts are primarily driven by expressive motivations, such as self-esteem and guilt, rather than a mix of instrumental and expressive factors. This suggests that consumers engage in tourism boycotts not necessarily to achieve tangible outcomes, but to express personal or ethical values, highlighting a distinctive nature of tourism boycotts in the landscape of consumer activism.
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spelling doaj-art-1ea42f337f1541e0b6bf7a3b39fcaa072025-08-20T02:57:29ZengMDPI AGTourism and Hospitality2673-57682024-11-01541292130810.3390/tourhosp5040072Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism BoycottsMinkyung Park0Hochan Jang1School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, 4D2, Fairfax, VA 22030, USADepartment of Tourism, Korea National Open University, 86, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03087, Republic of KoreaWhile tourism boycotts can have a considerable economic impact on a target entity, critics often question their effectiveness in changing the target entity’s behavior, particularly in international contexts. Despite these challenges, tourism boycotts have increased over time. This study explores the dynamics of tourism boycotts amid international political conflicts and investigates the motivations behind consumer participation. During an ongoing national boycott in South Korea, we conducted an online survey with a nationally representative adult panel, gathering 962 responses for analysis. Our findings reveal that tourism boycott participants—primarily women, older individuals, those with higher education and income, and the progressive—resemble consumer boycott participants in Europe and the U.S. While perceived efficacy (instrumental motivation) is often emphasized in consumer boycotts as a key variable for participation, our study suggests that tourism boycotts are primarily driven by expressive motivations, such as self-esteem and guilt, rather than a mix of instrumental and expressive factors. This suggests that consumers engage in tourism boycotts not necessarily to achieve tangible outcomes, but to express personal or ethical values, highlighting a distinctive nature of tourism boycotts in the landscape of consumer activism.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/5/4/72expressive motivationinstrumental motivationperceived efficacyguiltself-esteeminternational politics
spellingShingle Minkyung Park
Hochan Jang
Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts
Tourism and Hospitality
expressive motivation
instrumental motivation
perceived efficacy
guilt
self-esteem
international politics
title Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts
title_full Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts
title_fullStr Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts
title_full_unstemmed Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts
title_short Beyond Efficacy: How Self-Esteem and Guilt Drive Participation in Tourism Boycotts
title_sort beyond efficacy how self esteem and guilt drive participation in tourism boycotts
topic expressive motivation
instrumental motivation
perceived efficacy
guilt
self-esteem
international politics
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/5/4/72
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