On being community members: exploring psychological mechanisms of community identity construction through Community-Based Tourism

Research Project

Project/Area Number	21K17983
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Review Section	Basic Section 80020:Tourism studies-related
Research Institution	Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Principal Investigator	YOUN SeungHo 立命館アジア太平洋大学, サステイナビリティ観光学部, 准教授 (80804757)
Project Period (FY)	2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
Project Status	Granted (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000) Fiscal Year 2024: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000) Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000) Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000) Fiscal Year 2021: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Keywords	community-based tourism / Identity motivations / Identity construction / Identity resilience / Community Based Tourism / Social identity / Identity component / identity construction / tourism / sense of identity
Outline of Research at the Start	This psychology-driven research is an investigation into how CBT and a sense of community identity are interrelated. CBT is a new tourism planned and implemented by host communities, and delivers wider benefits to the community. This research develops an empirically supported and theoretically sound understanding of the psychological process through which local citizens build their sense of identity via CBT. By comparing two different cultural contexts facing the social problems, the research will deepen the understanding of the role of CBT in the sustainability of a local community.
Outline of Annual Research Achievements	In 2022, the researcher conducted Grant-in-Aid research in South Korea and the UK. While at the University of Surrey, the researcher worked with colleagues in the School of Psychology and Tourism and Hospitality. He successfully established a scientific collaboration with renowned professors. The details are as follows. 1) Hearing from experts and academics / Field study and Data collection: The researcher carried out field studies in both South Korea and the UK. The researcher visited communities where community-based tourism has been actively employed. These sites include rural communities, community tourism education centres, fishing villages, historical attractions, local markets, community centres and associations, the local volunteer group, and local museums. The researcher interviewed community leaders, tourism researchers, local tourism consultants, academics in sustainability and well-being studies, and local government tourism advisers. 2) Research: The researcher was able to catch up on the literature on community identity in environmental psychology and social psychology. The identity resilience perspective and relevant measurement indexes have been explored in the literature. 3) Presentation: The researcher presented at the EPRG Seminar at the University of Surrey, UK. The topic presented was ‘Exploring psychological mechanisms of community identity construction through Community-Based Tourism’ based on the Grand in Aid research. The researcher had the opportunity to engage with many faculties and students.
Current Status of Research Progress	Current Status of Research Progress 2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned. Reason By the second quarter of 2022, the pandemic triggered severe disruption of research activities including field study, data collection, and field activities. However, since the pandemic has been downward since the third quarter, the researcher was able to elaborate theoretical framework and research methods by conducting field studies in both South Korea and the UK. By collaborating with international researchers and practitioners, the researcher could catch up on the issues of community-based tourism in academia and practice and elaborate research methods (e.g. measurement scale and items). The literature on community identity in environmental psychology and social psychology was also updated in the research. The researcher disseminated the current research to the scientific community in the UK.
Strategy for Future Research Activity	Based on the research in 2022, quantitative research (i.e. questionnaire) and qualitative research (i.e. in-depth interviews) with community members will be conducted to explore their identity creation through engagement with local community-based tourism initiatives. The data collection by questionnaire will be carried out in May and June in the Japanese and South Korean context. The researcher also plans to interview community leaders about the current implementation of community-leading tourism initiatives and whether the implementation has been effective. Since one international conference proceeding has been accepted, this research’s timeline would involve an international conference presentation in the UK in July 2023 (Surrey 2023 Conference: Bringing Hospitality, Tourism, Transportation and Events Back for Good, 5-7 July).