Abstract
This study investigates how authenticity is perceived, constructed, and emotionally experienced within hanbok rental services for global tourists in Seoul and Busan, South Korea. Employing a qualitative, design-driven case study approach, the research integrates immersive observation, digital ethnography, and focus group interviews to map emotional and symbolic touch points across the rental journey. Through pattern-based coding and application of Gilmore and Pine’s five genres of authenticity, the analysis explores how spatial and symbolic design elements, service rituals, and cultural cues may shape tourists’ perceptions and emotional engagement. Findings are synthesized using two key analytic products: the Authenticity Scoring Table, which evaluates authenticity at each stage of the journey, and the Authenticity Experience Journey Map, which visually traces emotional and experiential highs and lows. Results suggest both shared and divergent patterns between Seoul and Busan, with both cities showing apparent strengths in referential and exceptional authenticity but persistent gaps in natural and influential authenticity. This study, as a pilot and preliminary investigation, indicates that personalized service, meaningful rituals, and locally embedded environments may play important roles in creating emotionally resonant and memorable experiences. This research offers initial, actionable insights for cultural tourism providers and contributes to ongoing discussions about authenticity as a dynamic, co-constructed phenomenon in experiential tourism. The study highlights the need for further exploratory and confirmatory research to deepen and validate these findings.
Keywords
Perceived Authenticity; Hanbok Rental Services; Cultural Experience Design; Tourism and Emotion; Service Rituals; Korean Cultural Tourism; Experience Economy
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.873
Citation
Yoanto, F.C.,and Lee, Y.(2025) A Service Perspective on Cultural Authenticity: Case Study of Hanbok Rentals for Global Tourists, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.873
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 11 - Culture and Craft Design for Regenerative Practices
A Service Perspective on Cultural Authenticity: Case Study of Hanbok Rentals for Global Tourists
This study investigates how authenticity is perceived, constructed, and emotionally experienced within hanbok rental services for global tourists in Seoul and Busan, South Korea. Employing a qualitative, design-driven case study approach, the research integrates immersive observation, digital ethnography, and focus group interviews to map emotional and symbolic touch points across the rental journey. Through pattern-based coding and application of Gilmore and Pine’s five genres of authenticity, the analysis explores how spatial and symbolic design elements, service rituals, and cultural cues may shape tourists’ perceptions and emotional engagement. Findings are synthesized using two key analytic products: the Authenticity Scoring Table, which evaluates authenticity at each stage of the journey, and the Authenticity Experience Journey Map, which visually traces emotional and experiential highs and lows. Results suggest both shared and divergent patterns between Seoul and Busan, with both cities showing apparent strengths in referential and exceptional authenticity but persistent gaps in natural and influential authenticity. This study, as a pilot and preliminary investigation, indicates that personalized service, meaningful rituals, and locally embedded environments may play important roles in creating emotionally resonant and memorable experiences. This research offers initial, actionable insights for cultural tourism providers and contributes to ongoing discussions about authenticity as a dynamic, co-constructed phenomenon in experiential tourism. The study highlights the need for further exploratory and confirmatory research to deepen and validate these findings.