Hiking tourists’ experiential dynamics: a multiple measurement approach

ABSTRACT This study attempts to more exactly trace tourists’ perceptions of hiking experiences by measuring perceptions in the early, middle, and late stages of a 4-hour hiking trip. A total of 339 respondents participated in this survey while hiking in Jeju Olle, South Korea. A survey was conducted three times using the same respondents and the same questionnaire. A total of 301 questionnaire sets, matched for all three stages of the experience, were used for further data analysis. Hikers indicated differences in their psychological states between the three points in time. In terms of benefits sought, environmental experience, and place attachment, they reported a higher level of immersion in experiential dynamics. However, regarding perceived mood, they became less excited and less rushed, while feeling more bored and relaxed. Four clusters generated after conducting cluster analysis demonstrated differences in perception of the psychological variables across the clusters.