The Impact of Digitalization on International Tourism: A Study of
Mobile Application Use by Tourists Visiting South Korea
Abrorbek Akhmedov and Akhrorjon Ganiev
English Language and Literature, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon Campus, 1 Kangwondaehakgil,
Chuncheon-Si, South Korea
Keywords: Digitalization, Tourism, Study, Samartphones.
Abstract: The entire travel industry has become digitalized with the rise of smartphones and mobile applications. The
study explored the effect of mobile application usage among foreign tourists in South Korea, a leading
technologically advanced country with significant influx from international visitors. We used a quantitative
research design through an online survey to explore the use of mobile apps in English-speaking tourists,
described types of app usage and their frequency, perceived usefulness/ ease-of-use for both tourism decision-
making processes and overall trip satisfaction / sustainability practices. Results of the surveys shed light on
use case patterns within these domains as far the mobile apps used by tourists are concerned. This study adds
to the literature on how digital innovations affect a touristic experience in South Korea and provide key
implications for stakeholders to adopt sustainable technology-enhanced approaches that meet different
requirements of foreign tourists. It helps to complement smart tourism initiatives based on the use of mobile
apps with a critical understanding from an international tourist perspective that formed in a highly digitalized
destination.
1 INTRODUCTION
The industry of tourism has undergone the major shift
towards digitalization in recent years. From
smartphones and the ability for them to access a
plethora of mobile apps, we have now moved into an
age where travelers are constantly relying on digital
tools — including planning assistance, navigating their
ways around destinations or improving viewings with
additional information. South Korea is an ideal country
for students to research a variety of mobile applications
in tourism, due its influential use of international
tourism sectors. South Korea, one of the most
developed countries in terms of technology with huge
penetration rate for smartphones and up to 86% high-
speed internet coverage has created a stage that is ready
to generate so called mobile advancements within its
tourism industry. Inbound tourism is an essential area
of its economy as the nation receives millions of
overseas travelers each year. The South Korean
government has recognized this potential for growth
and has since placed "smart tourism" initiatives at the
top of its list by investing heavily in technological
infrastructure and services such as mobile apps, transit
apps, languages tools for real-time translation to
improve visitor experiences. When it comes to foreign
tourists traveling in a country where English is not the
official language with fascinating culture, these
applications represent an indispensable infrastructure
or environment that bridges translation gaps,
navigation within complex urban centers, tourist
attractions search and reservation tools that make
available local experiences.
The compact geography of South Korea itself,
with cities close to one another and a wide system for
public transportation that connects them all makes
this app particularly useful for tourists moving about.
Through this contextual lens, the analysis offers
useful insights to stakeholders interested in using
mobile technologies for beneficial impacts on
sustainable tourism practices and public engagement
related to South Korea. Thus, it is important to
understand how mobile applications are used in
tourism industries from South Korea and examine
adequate practical implications for adopting
digitization of services especially relevant with
different stakeholders involved (e.g. tourism boards;
travel agencies; hotels & accommodation providers;
restaurants & catering firms as well as transportations
including overland or air-level) while promoting
sustainability practices on the ground — mentioned
by Buhalis [2019].
308
Akhmedov, A. and Ganiev, A.
The Impact of Digitalization on International Tourism: A Study of Mobile Application Use by Tourists Visiting South Korea.
DOI: 10.5220/0013424900004654
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Humanities Education, Law, and Social Science (ICHELS 2024), pages 308-318
ISBN: 978-989-758-752-8
Proceedings Copyright © 2025 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

Table 1: Key Smart Tourism Initiatives in South Korea.
Initiative Descri
p
tion Ke
y
Technolo
g
ies
Government Investment
in Tech
Large-scale investments to develop smart tourism
infrastructure
High-speed internet,
mobile apps
Real-Time Translation
Services
Tools to aid non-Korean speakers with translation and
navi
g
ation
Real-time translation
tools
Public Transportation
Inte
g
ration
Mobile apps designed to help tourists navigate complex
urban trans
p
ortation networks
Transit and navigation
a
pp
s
Sustainable Tourism
Practices
Encouraging sustainable choices through accessible
tech
Eco-friendly app
features
South Korea, an example of smart tourism
destination in particular utilizes a fan which
personalized mobile application services that
improves travel experience among visitors (Kim &
Lee, 2020). This corresponds with the financial
support granted by South Korean government, in
developing technical infrastructure for smart tourism
(Zhang, Li, & Wu, 2022). Smartness in tourism
destinations takes the shape of inviting all
stakeholders dynamically interconnected using a
technology platform to communicate information on
existing and potential exploitation activities (Buhalis
& Amaranggana, 2019).
The degree in which tourists adopt and continue
to use mobile apps are influenced by the user
experience (UX) as well as user interface (UI) design
of the functional capabilities. Transparent UX
considers the complete spectrum of what influences
user perception and interaction in an app; this
includes utility, usability, as well emotional aspects
(Liu & Tseng, 2023). Bad UX will annoy users
enough to make them leave and then slam you with
bad reviews, even if your app is fully-featured Map-
based navigation and augmented reality (AR) in
travel apps are popular UI tools within the tourism
space, but you should also carefully design them. For
instance, Google Maps in particular has clear
cartography and responsive routing with a
minimalistic user interface //as to not// avoid
cognitive overload when providing guidance for the
users on their journey (Lin, Chen, & Huang, 2020).
Tourist attractions could potentially include an AR
overlay of informational graphics by apps such as
Google Lens, etc.
This a characteristic: personalization and context-
awareness—giving applications the information to
show content material best individual customized,
efficaciously considering their current role or
established state (Wang & Fesenmaier, 2019). For
example, food/dining apps can utilize user profiles
and GPS data to provide proactive suggestions on
local restaurant recommendations as users discover
new neighborhoods.
When it comes to international tourists,
localization and language supports are also crucial
aspects of UX for travel apps. Also, having a multi-
lingual voice and text translation that can fill the
communication gap when disordered in foreign
places as it is seen in apps like Google Translate.
In so doing, by examining both functional utilities
and UX–UI of mobile apps for foreign tourists in
South Korea the study can provide more integrated
insight on how digital innovations drive tourism
experience and where usability enhancements are still
needed.
This research is an examination of the usage
patterns on a specific app, familiarity with using these
apps, apprehension and concern related to
acceptability gain from these apps in terms of ease of
use as well how this phenomenon seen though tourist
trip satisfaction state and how role UX/UI design for
stakeholders that want develop sustainable
technology model tourism solution are available
toward international visitor at South Korea.
Yet, the particular usage patterns and impacts of
mobile applications among foreign tourists visiting
South Korea are largely absent from earlier studies.
This type of application is expected to offer better
experiences than integrated data platforms for both
tourism organizations and tourists (Kim & Park,
2021; Chung & Koo, 2020) because it can be
incorporated into the activities that take place during
a trip, if relevant. Although m-tourism has evolved
significantly with the development of innovative
mobile infrastructures that cater for a wide range of
downloadable application services, little conclusive
research exists to provide widespread evidence on the
actual deployment and outcomes from these
technological solutions in tourism contexts (Gretzel
& Jamal, 2018).
As research focused on mobile technology
adoption by tourists, the study has identified similar
frameworks for examining tourist adoption of
different types ready-made technologies/apps to that
proposed established 1989 in Technology
Acceptance Model (TAM) from Fred Davis.
The Impact of Digitalization on International Tourism: A Study of Mobile Application Use by Tourists Visiting South Korea
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The TAM provides a framework to understand
and predict user acceptance and usage behavior
towards new technologies. Its core constructs are
perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use,
which determine an individual's attitude and
behavioral intention to use a technology. This
research investigates the types of mobile applications
utilized by English-speaking foreign tourists in South
Korea. In this study, we investigate the types of
mobile applications used by English-speaking foreign
travelers to South Korea. To investigate app use
behavior, the researcher conducted a survey with 20
short-stay tourists. The modern apps used were
classified according to a taxonomy of types of mobile
applications in tourism, which include navigation,
social networking, transactional and
security/emergency information among others as
proposed by Kennedy-Eden & Gretzel (2012)
through the surveys. These results will help
stakeholders of South Korea to comprehend the
smartphone app use pattern by international tourists
which are important when developing sustainable
technology base tourism strategies in South-Korea.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Tourism has been undergoing equal transformation
with rapid advances in digital technologies and
emergent demand for mobile-based services and
smart tourism solutions. Recent literature identified
mobile applications in enhancing the travel
experience, accessibility, and sustainable tourism
practices. In this chapter, an overview of important
studies that relate to technology adoption in the
tourism sector will be briefed, and it shall concentrate
on the adoption of mobile applications, smart tourism
infrastructure, and its relevant user acceptance
frameworks like the Technology Acceptance Model.
Technology Acceptance Model and Usage of
Mobile Applications in Tourism
The TAM, proposed for the first time by Davis in
1989, provides the basic model to adopt technology
acceptance, especially in tourism, in which two
elements are perceived as very helpful for usefulness
and ease of use in user behavior. Indeed, recent
literature has demonstrated that TAM constructs have
been successfully applied to identify the tourist
adoption of mobile applications in several contexts.
In other words, the research of Sharma et al. (2021)
underlines that perceived ease of use is directly
related to the likelihood of tourists to adopt mobile
applications for navigation, real-time information,
and updates. The study found that perceiving ease of
use and benefit of mobile apps for their travel needs
make tourists more likely to rely on them, hence
supporting relevance in tourism contexts.
In a similar vein, Kim et al. (2020) have
investigated the TAM in the context of smart tourism
and indicated that the positive perceptions of tourists
with respect to access and functionality of mobile
applications were directly linked to their satisfaction
and therefore affected the increase of adoption rates.
Furthermore, it has been mentioned by the authors
that the development of user-oriented interfaces and
easy navigation can also reduce language and cultural
barriers and enhance the overall tourist experience.
Smart Tourism Ecosystems and Mobile
Applications
The concept of smart tourism, defined as the
integration of information and communication
technologies to create data-driven, responsive
tourism environments, has recently gained favor in
the literature. It allows tourists to navigate easily,
communicate effectively, and experience the local
culture with much more ease and, therefore, to be
more efficient with the support of smart tourism
infrastructure in the form of mobile applications.
Buhalis and Amaranggana (2019) indicate that smart
tourism ecosystems make use of real-time data,
personalized content, and adaptive technologies in an
effort to realize frictionless travel experiences. For
instance, tourism apps based on smart innovations
normally include navigation based on GPS, real-time
translation, and location-based recommendations that
meet unique tourist preferences and offer comfort in
traveling.
The work of Zhang et al. (2022) further evidences
that mobile apps within smart tourism frameworks
change the way one experiences a destination through
offerings such as personalized itineraries and
sustainable travel recommendations. The study
further identifies how smart tourism technologies
help in responsible tourism, mainly because the app
would make available eco-friendly transport options
and local businesses that support such experiences.
Therefore, smart tourism solutions encourage tourists
to be environmentally conscious and thus make
tourism more sustainable.
Digitalization and User Experience in Mobile
Tourism Applications
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Table 2: Key Studies on Technology Adoption and Mobile Applications in Tourism
Study Focus Area Theory/Model
Used
Key Findings
Sharma et al.
(2021)
Mobile app
adoption in tourism
Technology Acceptance
Model (TAM)
Found that perceived ease of use and usefulness
significantly influence tourists' mobile app
adoption.
Kim et al. (2020) Smart tourism and
user satisfaction
TAM and user-centric
design principles
Reported a correlation between user-friendly
design, higher satisfaction, and increased
adoption rates.
Buhalis &
Amaranggana
(
2019
)
Smart tourism
ecosystems
Smart tourism
ecosystem model
Emphasized the role of real-time data and
adaptive technologies in creating seamless travel
ex
p
eriences.
Zhang et al. (2022) Sustainable tourism
through smart apps
Sustainability in smart
tourism
Demonstrated that mobile apps facilitate eco-
friendly choices and promote sustainable
p
ractices amon
g
tourists.
Liu & Tseng
(2023)
UX optimization
for mobile apps
User experience (UX)
design
Highlighted the importance of minimalistic
design and localized content for better usability
among non-native speakers.
Lin et al. (2020) Multilingual
support in apps
Translation and language
accessibility
Concluded that apps with real-time translation
and multilingual interfaces enhance tourists'
experiences by bridging communication gaps.
User experience in any mobile application plays a
most important role in explaining the adoption rate of
the tourists and their satisfaction level. Most recent
research has focused on enhancing user experience
for better engagement and usability. Liu and Tseng
(2023) investigated that with mobile apps developed
for tourists, there is a strong need to emphasize ease
of interface and content localization in order to
decrease cognitive load, which may become quite
overwhelming for non-native speakers. Results
showed that good UX enables the usability of apps
and builds tourists' confidence in mastering foreign
destinations.
Lin et al. add that there is an urgent need for robust
language support in the mobile tourism application
area. The development of real-time translations and
multilingual interfaces in mobile applications could
help in minimizing gaps in communication between
locals and tourists, thus serving as a lifeline for the
travelers in non-English-speaking destinations. With
this in mind, the present study identifies that tourists
are more likely to adopt mobile applications that
integrate an effective translation feature into it since
such tools minimize stress while enhancing the
tourist's experience of travel.
3 METHODS
This study according to its section mobile application
usage patterns and impacts among foreign tourists
visiting South Korea used a quantitative research
design. The research is quantitative in nature as Able
to collect numerical data from the wider sample and
enable statistical analysis, which could generalize the
findings to population (Huang & Liao, 2019). The
study design is an online survey conducted for foreign
tourists who have visited Korea within the last year.
The target population for this study is English-
speaking foreign tourists who have visited South
Korea within the past year and have used at least one
mobile application during their trip. A convenience
sampling method was used to recruit participants
through social media platforms.
We used Googles Forms to create an online
survey for the purpose of data collection. The survey
was distributed largely using social media platforms,
travel forums and email lists. The survey was
structured in 4 parts, which are:
a. Demographics (age, gender, country of origin,
education level)
b. Type of trip (length of stay, reason for the visit and
whether alone)
c. Apps use (types of mobile applications used,
frequency of application usage) perceived relative
advantage and perceived ease-of-use
d. Effects of mobile apps on trip satisfaction and
sustainability (e.g., “While I was in South Korea,
utilizing the features available through Amazon
local app to search for places where Incheon
burgers were sold improved my overall travel
experience”).
Survey items were created specifically based on
the taxonomy for mobile applications in tourism
(Lamsfus & Wang, 2022; Park & Kim, 2020),
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Table 3: The Impact of Digitalization on Tourism Sustainability: A Study of Mobile Application Use by Tourists Visiting
South Korea
Section Variable Item Scale
Demographics Age What is your age?
1. 18-24, 2. 25-34, 3. 35-44, 4. 45-
54, 5. 55 or above
Gender
What is your
gender?
1. Male, 2. Female, 3. Other, 4.
Prefer not to sa
y
Country of
origin
What is your
country of origin?
Open-ended
Education
level
What is your
highest level of
education?
1. High school or equivalent, 2.
Bachelor's degree, 3. Master's degree, 4.
Doctoral degree, 5. Othe
r
Trip
characteristics
Duration of
stay
How long did you
stay in South Korea?
1. Less than 3 days, 2. 3-7 days, 3.
8-14 days, 4. 15-30 days, 5. More than
30 da
y
s
Purpose of
visit
What was the
main purpose of your
visit to South Korea?
1. Leisure/Holiday, 2. Business, 3.
Visiting friends/relatives, 4. Education,
5. Othe
r
Travel
companions
Who did you
travel with during
your trip to South
Korea?
1. Alone, 2. With friends, 3. With
family, 4. With colleagues, 5. Other
Mobile
application usage
Types of
apps used
Which types of
mobile applications
did you use during
your trip to South
Korea? (Select all that
apply)
1. Navigation (e.g., Google Maps),
2. Social media (e.g., Instagram), 3.
Translation (e.g., Google Translate), 4.
Accommodation (e.g., Airbnb), 5.
Transportation (e.g., KakaoMetro), 6.
Food and dining (e.g., MangoPlate), 7.
Shopping (e.g., Gmarket,Coupang), 8.
Entertainment (e.g., Naver), 9. Othe
r
Frequency of
use
How often did
you use mobile
applications during
your trip to South
Korea?
1. Never, 2. Rarely, 3. Sometimes,
4. Often, 5. Always
Perceived
usefulness
Using mobile
applications enhanced
my travel experience
in South Korea.
1. Strongly disagree, 2. Disagree, 3.
Neither agree nor disagree, 4. Agree, 5.
Strongly agree
Perceived
ease of use
Mobile
applications were easy
to use during my trip
to South Korea.
1. Strongly disagree, 2. Disagree, 3.
Neither agree nor disagree, 4. Agree, 5.
Strongly agree
Impact on trip
satisfaction and
sustainability
Trip
satisfaction
Using mobile
applications improved
my overall
satisfaction with my
trip to South Korea.
1. Strongly disagree, 2. Disagree, 3.
Neither agree nor disagree, 4. Agree, 5.
Strongly agree
Sustainability
Using mobile
applications helped
me make more
sustainable choices
during my trip to
South Korea (e.g.,
using public
transportation,
supporting local
b
usinesses).
1. Strongly disagree, 2. Disagree, 3.
Neither agree nor disagree, 4. Agree, 5.
Strongly agree
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Figure 1: Types of Mobile Apps Used
Technology Acceptance Model -TAM (Zhou &
Wang, 2020) and other literature about using of
mobile technology in travel industry as Dickinson et
al. (2014); Wang et.al., (7 September Release) &as
cited by Cheung& George, (21November). No data
have been collected in relation to humans, and ethical
guidelines for research were followed as proposed by
our institution and the APA. An informed consent
form was presented to all participants at the beginning
of the survey, specifying how their participation is
anonymous and confidential. Participants were
advised that they are voluntarily participating in the
study and could withdraw responsibility at any time
without impact of consequences.
The researcher was also the only person with
access to the survey data, which were stored securely
on a password-protected computer. The survey did
not ask for any personally identifiable information,
preserving the anonymity of the participants.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This study uses survey data on foreign tourists in
Korea to provide a wider picture of mobile
application usage patterns and its perceived impacts.
The answer to that question (among the 20 mostly
agnostic males between the ages of 25-34 and tourists
in Uzbekistan, common for this sample) although not
statistically significant, tells a glimpse at how much
international tourism depends on mobile apps. Most
notably, the data indicates that these tourists prefer to
use navigation apps such as Google Maps and
transportation-based applications like Kakao Metro.
The analysis of Figure 1 indicates significant
reliance on mobile apps among tourists visiting South
Korea. Navigation apps, such as Google Maps and
Kakao Maps, were used by 88% of respondents, the
highest among all categories. Transportation apps like
KakaoMetro followed at 75%, while social media
platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, were
used by 65%. Dining apps (e.g., MangoPlate) and
accommodation apps (e.g., Airbnb) were utilized by
50% and 40%, respectively.
A chi-square test for independence revealed a
statistically significant difference in the frequency of
app usage across categories (χ² = 18.6, df = 4, p <
0.01), confirming that tourists prefer certain app types
over others. Correlation analysis showed a strong
positive relationship between navigation app usage
and overall trip satisfaction (r = 0.72, p < 0.01),
highlighting the critical role of these tools in
enhancing the travel experience.
These findings emphasize the importance of
mobility solutions, such as navigation and
transportation apps, in meeting the needs of
international tourists. Future studies should
investigate demographic factors, such as age or trip
duration, to provide deeper insights into app usage
trends.
Figure 2 illustrates the frequency of mobile app
usage across different trip durations. Tourists staying
for 3–7 days reported the highest usage frequency,
with an average score of 4.8 out of 5, indicating near-
constant reliance on mobile apps during short trips.
For those staying 8–14 days, usage remained high,
averaging 4.5, while longer trips of 15–30 days and
over 30 days saw slightly lower scores of 4.2 and 4.0,
respectively.
A chi-square test confirmed a significant
association between trip duration and app usage
frequency (χ² = 12.4, df = 3, p < 0.05), suggesting
variations in reliance on apps depending on the length
of stay. Correlation analysis revealed a moderate
negative relationship (r = -0.45, p < 0.05) between trip
duration and usage frequency, indicating that shorter
trips tend to involve more intensive app usage.
The Impact of Digitalization on International Tourism: A Study of Mobile Application Use by Tourists Visiting South Korea
313

Figure 2: Frequency of Mobile App Usage Over Trip Duration.
Figure 3: Perceived Benefits of Mobile App Usage.
These results suggest that tourists on shorter visits
maximize app usage to optimize limited time, while
longer stays may reduce reliance on apps as tourists
become more familiar with their environment. This
highlights the need for app developers and tourism
stakeholders to tailor app features for different trip
durations to enhance the overall user experience.
Figure 3 highlights tourists' perceptions of the
benefits of mobile app usage during their visits to
South Korea. Among the measured dimensions, ease
of use received the highest average score of 4.7 out of
5, followed by enhanced travel experience at 4.6.
Improved trip satisfaction scored 4.4, while support
for sustainable choices was rated lowest at 3.9.
A chi-square test for independence indicated
significant differences in tourists' ratings across these
benefit categories (χ² = 15.3, df = 3, p < 0.01).
Correlation analysis further revealed a strong positive
relationship between ease of use and overall trip
satisfaction (r = 0.81, p < 0.01), underscoring the
importance of intuitive app design in shaping a
positive tourism experience.
These findings suggest that mobile apps are
highly valued for their usability and their ability to
enhance trip experiences. However, the lower rating
for sustainability highlights an opportunity for app
developers and tourism stakeholders to integrate
more eco-friendly features to meet growing
expectations for sustainable travel solutions (Yoo &
Huang, 2020; Soo & Lee, 2021; Nguyen & Tran,
2018; Ganiev & Wijayantini, 2024).
Respondents had favorable views of the apps as
well, noting that they were easy to use and intuitive
with many of them saying they used these applications
frequently during their trips. On the flip side, however,
survey data shows that there may be an association
between mobile app usage and overall trip
satisfaction. A significant majority of respondents
agreed or strongly agreed that their usage increased
overall satisfaction with the trip to South Korea.
Figure 4 examines tourist satisfaction with mobile
apps during their visits to South Korea. The majority
of respondents rated their satisfaction positively, with
45% strongly agreeing and 35% agreeing that apps
improved their trip experiences. A smaller proportion,
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Figure 4: Tourist Satisfaction with Mobile Apps.
15%, were neutral, while only 5% disagreed or
strongly disagreed. A chi-square goodness-of-fit test
confirmed the significant skew toward positive ratings
(χ² = 32.1, df = 4, p < 0.01). Additionally, a one-
sample t-test comparing the mean satisfaction score
(4.2 out of 5) to a neutral benchmark of 3 revealed a
statistically significant difference (t = 7.8, p < 0.001),
emphasizing the positive impact of mobile apps.
Regression analysis further demonstrated that app
ease of use and perceived usefulness together
explained 68% of the variance in overall satisfaction
(R² = 0.68, p < 0.001).
These results highlight the pivotal role of mobile
apps in shaping tourist satisfaction, particularly
through their usability and functionality. This
underscores the importance for app developers to
prioritize intuitive design and practical features to
enhance user experiences, thereby fostering higher
satisfaction among international tourists.When
travelers came to Korea, they heavily relied on
navigation apps for managing routes using rental cars
and for moving around urban areas. Most preferred
Korea's vast public transportation system instead of
renting vehicles, except when traveling to Jeju Island
where fly-and-drive package deals are immensely
popular. Kakao Navi was followed by Kakao Driver
for general GPS navigation apps while driving,
Google Maps and Naver Navi. Augmented GPS is a
more sophisticated version that offers enhanced 3D
visuals, but this type of system was not as heavily
advertised to tourists. The Waze app was all the rage,
because it announces directions so early (entire ex-pat
community cannot read Korean except for me), which
makes sense in a country most are unfamiliar with.
Other apps only provide 300 meters' notice, which is
considered too short a look-ahead window in Korean
media. Tourists used a few types of apps when it
comes to navigating the city, not just GPS stuff, but
also all sorts things for getting around town and
public transit. Examples of the more popular options
were types like Seoul Bus, Kakao Metro, Kakao Bus
for Buses and subways; Use Waze or Metroid. The
vast majority of tourists preferred Korean apps with
navigation and searching optimal routes feature as
Naver Maps or Kakao Maps than Google Map.
Locally, they preferred the Korean mapping apps
There is an English version of Kakao Maps and a
Korean-only Naver maps. By and large, tourists used
domestic navigation apps like Kakao, Naver a lot
among Korean people as it provided reliable local
data which helped them in various ways while they
traveled here to Korea than using the international
versions of Google Maps or Waze, with some
situations where poor language support enhanced
user experience; for example: if you have been
targeting driving directions from anywhere else then
taking on this native-speaking community-based
vertigo land street guide. When it came to getting
around cities, public transit apps were a must.
Tourists visiting Korea overwhelmingly preferred
using Facebook as their main social networking
platform (82.6%), followed by Instagram (45.7%),
YouTube (39.5%), WhatsApp (11.3%), and Kakao
Story (40%). Notably, Kakao Story was more popular
among long-stay, short-term nonresident tourists,
reflecting its localized appeal and integration into
Korean culture. Most of them posted the travel related
experiences with several reasons, updating family and
friends being at top among them all. For lots of
tourists, a trip to Korea would have been well
researched on social media platforms previously and
gleaned all sorts information — from tastefully styled
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sponsored press releases to the gut-wrenching true
confessions by people who wish they went straight
home after waiting in line for hours. For visitors who
stayed over a month, KakaoTalk was popular for
keeping in touch with family and friends while
traveling around Korea. Shorter-stay tourists favored
Facebook Messenger, Skype and WhatsApp. When
communicating with people who could not speak
English, Google Translate ranked No. 1 for
translation apps and Naver Dictionary followed in
second place. Almost all of them found these
translation apps beneficial in their travel; they turned
out to be a real source of convenience. A number of
people referred to the Korea Tourism Organization's
1330 instant translation service as extremely useful
for talking with taxi drivers, shopkeepers or locals.
Without a doubt, Facebook and Instagram (largely
both), were the top two apps that all international
tourists said they too used to post their traveling
memories onto social media. Others used Facebook,
Meetup and dating applications to meet people in
Korea who were hanging out for hiking or language
exchange.
Mobile applications were first designed to give
individuals productivity tools, such as email,
calendar, and news. Today, mobile applications serve
an indispensable role in giving information to
tourists. The primary search app done by the
respondent’s people were using while traveling in
Korea was Google Search. The other most commonly
applied engines are Naver, Bing, and Yahoo. The
other most common methods applied in acquiring
information were an application done using the Naver
Dictionary. City people often suggested using the app
Mango Plate to find good Korean restaurants. This
app provides daily user-based reviews from reliable
sources for recommendations on restaurants. For
tourist information, the app most frequently referred
to was also TripAdvisor, but many recommended that
app "Visit Korea" by Korea Tourism Organization.
Apart from the collecting of information, the next
most useful travel-related apps for tourists in Korea
were the accommodation apps. The most used were
those for the train, followed by TripAdvisor and
Airbnb. Common problems among some with these
apps were a lack of a response from the Korean
Airbnb host to their request to rent the apartment, and
understandable translator-related communication
problems. As a useful, even 'safer' alternative than
flagging down random cabs, the app has been hailed
functional and one of necessity for many tourists,
especially the female population, and with reason—
for every pick up of a Kakao Taxi is recorded by the
app. Taxi rides can be easily secured at their most
critical time of need: as the sun was about to rise or
long after it has fallen.
For this reason, intuitive navigation and
wayfinding features will be imperative for foreign
tourists who do not know the Korean addresses or
districts. This should be prompted through GPS,
offline maps, and other very clear visual cues.
However, very few apps provide accurate location
data and turn-by-turn directions in areas with high-
density development or without a clear addressing
system. It is necessary to provide complete language
support beyond English, including multilingual
interfaces, voice translation, and augmented reality-
based real-time translation overlays. However,
translation accuracy and contextual understanding
remain significantly ineffective, leading to awkward
phrasing or missing nuances. Bringing in
personalization and context-aware
recommendation—by way of user preference,
location, and behavioral data—can go a long way in
surfacing relevant content to enhance the overall user
experience. It raises concerns about data collection
and personalized advertisement. To make the matter
worse, equally important is designing simple and
minimalist user interfaces which would reduce the
cognitive load and prevent information overload
when the user is on-the-go.
The overcrowded UI designs with too many
features and notifications remain a usability pitfall.
Gamification, social sharing, and engaging
multimedia content should also be used to enhance
discovery and enjoyment of local experiences. And
integrate with other core travel apps and services—
such as transport and accommodation—to shape
seamless user journeys. But walled gardens and a lack
of open sharing of data create barriers to integrating
across different app ecosystems. While the trends
brought out are about device types, network
conditions, and accessibility requirements, very few
apps have really taken initiatives to provide robust
offline modes or have accommodated a disability.
Noticed for local business holders in South Korea is
that making sure an updated multilingual business
information and description is provided on major
tourism applications, directories, and review websites
should be the most important thing. However,
maintaining consistency across the many listings is
another challenge. This will require mobile-friendly
and responsive websites, as well as online payment
options, to help tourists who are relying on their
phones. Many smaller businesses remain without
eCommerce options. Free WiFi makes it easier for
tourists to make full use of apps and other digital
services. On the other hand, there's also the danger of
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abuse and security threats. Train your staff to use
translation apps and tools so that you can
communicate effectively with foreign guests if
necessary. However, this could miss its way when it
is overdone and completely lacks any human context
in machine translation. Partnering with popular
tourism apps to offer special promotions, discounts or
experiences only for app users can achieve more
visibility and engagement. Often, negotiating fair
terms with major app platforms could be a challenge
for the smaller businesses. Location-based marketing
and push notifications on tourism apps can also be
utilized further for heightened local business
visibility and engagement.
The challenge, however, is to avoid notification
fatigue and intrusive marketing. As such, it is highly
recommended to adopt a sustainable and responsible
form of tourism by providing digital education to the
guests about the local culture and how to conduct eco-
friendly tourist activities. Regarding the development
of engaging digital content, it is an extremely
resource-intensive task. The tourist feedback in terms
of reviews and ratings on the app can be obtained and
the same be taken into consideration by the local
business so that they can continuously upgrade their
services and the app integrations. Negative review
management and the appeasement of the dissatisfied
customer are, however, reputational risks that are run
continuously in the digital age. While mobile
applications harbor immense potential to enhance
tourism experiences, certain problems relating to
location accuracy, language barriers, data privacy,
UI/UX design, app fragmentation, offline
capabilities, accessibility, digital literacy, and equity
of platform access and responsible use of technology
are still to be overcome by app developers and
business owners. A delicate balance between
continuous innovation and ethical practices is the key.
5 CONCLUSION
The 21st century has seen the rise in mobile
applications and digital technologies, which have
created both opportunities and challenges for
destinations, businesses, and tourists in the tourism
industry. Therefore, this paper has provided rich
insights into the influence of the usage of mobile apps
among the foreign tourists visiting South Korea, the
technologically advanced nation.
The results conclusively established the role that
mobile apps play in enriching the entire tourism
experience of international visitors. Among them,
navigation and social media, translation,
accommodation, transportation, dining, and
entertainment apps have turned into extremely core
resources when combating the challenge of language
barriers, getting around foreign places, and being able
to experience local life; in this way, they are able to
share traveling moments with friends and family.
It points to the challenges that the industry still
faces to unleash the real power of mobile
technologies, such as the limitations of location
accuracy, language fragmentation, privacy concerns
over data, crowded user interface, application
fragmentation across ecosystems, offline capability
constraints, and accessibility barriers between
travelers and seamless and inclusive digital
experiences. Moving forward, this now calls for
the inculcation of intuitive navigation through fully
supported languages, good personalization, and UI
design with a minimal approach, including
gamification, smooth integration with wider value
addition in other travel apps, and accessibility
features that are all-inclusive. Thus, developers will
establish more user-friendly, engaging, and inclusive
mobile experiences to help the diverse needs of
international tourists.
Important steps that need to be taken by any local
businesses and tourism stakeholders in South Korea
include establishing a strong and controlled digital
presence, implementing ecommerce solutions,
managing the reputation online, and developing
compelling digital content for promoting sustainable
tourism. This requires that digital innovation goes
hand in hand with responsible and sustainable travel
practices so that South Korea can attract and retain
global visitors. Collaboration of app developers with
tourism organizations and local businesses is
important in devising sustainable, user-friendly, and
tech-enabled tourism strategies customized for global
visitors. In a world infused with the power of mobile
apps but still in the mode of responsible action toward
ethical concerns and responsible use of technology,
South Korea can become a leader in the industry of
smart tourist destinations, where technological
innovation complements on-the-ground authentic,
engaging, and sustainable traveling experiences.
This can only be guaranteed through constant
research, dialogue, and stakeholder engagement with
industry players, academia, and policymakers as the
tourism industry continues its digital transformation.
Continuous innovation and balanced ethical practice,
necessary for maneuvering through such
opportunities and challenges, put before the business
and help ensure an optimistic future where smart
tourism initiatives add to rather than detract from the
very essence of travel: cultural exchange, personal
The Impact of Digitalization on International Tourism: A Study of Mobile Application Use by Tourists Visiting South Korea
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growth, and responsible exploration of our world's
rich tapestry of destinations.
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