Examining Celebrity Fandom Levels and Its Impact on Destination Loyalty

Abstract

Popular culture tourism refers to tourism induced by pop-culture including film, media, literature, and music. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among fandom, a pop-star event, and the country where the pop star resides, from a pop-star’s fans’ perspective. The study revealed fans with high scores on fandom variables exhibited a higher degree of loyalty toward a pop-star event and the destination, compared to lower fandom groups. This study will add significant academic value to the destination marketing literature, as there is a lack of literature on destination loyalty from the perspective of pop-star fans. Practically, study findings are expected to provide destination marketers with useful suggestions for targeting fans.