Traditional tourism development has adopted a top-down approach, and the role of government has primarily been decision making and regulation in regard to tourism development. There has been growing interest in residents’ participation in tourism destination development and management. The study aims provide empirical evidence by examining the relationship between participative leadership, empowerment, and tourism participation among residents living in the provinces near the borders in Korea. We examine the economic benefits derived from tourists as a moderator. A total of 758 questionnaires were used. This study performed descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). This study examined the effects of participative leadership and empowerment on three categories of residents’ participation in tourism in DMZ areas in South Korea. This present study tests the relationships between and evaluated the effects of participatory leadership and resident empowerment on three types of resident participation. Participative leadership positively influences empowerment and resident participation. In addition, a positive effect of psychological empowerment between participative leadership and participation as a mediator was found. Participative leadership affects motivational processes, and psychological empowerment leads to participation. The results found that residents perceive their participation as important, and there is no difference based on the additional income they derive from tourism. The study contributes to the enhancement of sustainable development and a deeper understanding of how residents act. Furthermore, the results can provide direction for the creation of participative approaches in tourism development.

This qualitative study investigated the process of Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) storytelling created by tour guides. It explored the strategies that DMZ guides use and their influences at this complex site. This study investigates the training of the guides, their viewpoints on the DMZ, and the factors that influence their storytelling, taking guide status into consideration. A total of thirteen tour guides were interviewed. The findings identify various storytelling components that are used to build relationships with tourists, deliver an immersive experience, and provide the core information and regulations of the tour. Therefore, the proposed conceptual model includes three components that contribute to the creation of a memorable experience: the guide and the tourists, the guide and the site, and the tourists and the site. The findings enrich the body of literature on storytelling and could be used by travel agencies to create new training programs for DMZ tour guides and travel package group management. In addition, DMZ tours could be redesigned to increase the effectiveness of storytelling.

This study examines the relationships between tourism destination competitiveness (TDC), empowerment, and support for tourism among residents. It also examines the role of empowerment as a mediator in the relationship between TDC and residents’ support for tourism. A total of 711 respondents were used. This study uses descriptive analysis, two-stage factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that seven antecedents of TDC, namely natural, cultural, contextual competitiveness, complementarity, accommodation, infrastructure, and technology, are identified. Psychological empowerment has most positive effects on five facets of destination competitiveness. The results reveal a mediation effect of empowerment between the destination competitiveness and resident supportive behaviors for tourism. The outcome of this proposed model is support for tourism, which means active supportive actions for tourism among residents. The psychological and economic empowerment dimensions are shown to have positive effects on resident support for tourism. Understanding residents’ empowerment and support can be useful for those who develop political policies and action plans for sustainable tourism development. The results can suggest a model for a sustainable destination management, increasing the global reputation of travel destination, and advocacy for sustainable development goals.