Kang Wook Cho

My main research interest lies in analyzing tourist behavior based on their recall of memorable experiences. I have accumulated 12 years of valuable field experience working in Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and UN agencies, specifically UNESCO. During my tenure, I was responsible for coordinating various projects aimed at promoting and developing regional tourism. These experiences have provided me with a strong foundation and practical understanding of the complexities involved in tourism development projects.
Regarding my academic achievements, I have focused on the tourist experience journey, from the pre-experience stage to the post-experience stage. Each phase of the experience plays a key role in determining long-term tourism experience memory retention and in triggering memories that influence tourists’ future destination decisions. To analyze this cyclical process of memory retention and its impacts, I have been examining each stage of the experience and their multilateral relationships in order to better understand tourist behavior.
Recently, I have launched several projects analyzing tourist behavior in relation to the phenomenon of overtourism, with the aim of understanding how moral obligation can influence changes in pro-environmental behavioral intentions.
I am pleased to pursue my current research and teaching responsibilities, as they allow me to deepen my insights and explore ways to communicate influential behavioral messages to tourists in response to the constantly evolving social, environmental, and political issues that significantly affect tourist mobility.