A Study on the Conflict between Residents and Tourists, and Tourism Phobia in Urban Tourism

The purpose of this study is to analyze a phenomenon of tourism phobia focusing on a conflict between residents and tourists in urban tourism destinations. This research was conducted through the in-depth interview with local residents in Seochon village applying the photovoice and analyzed within a grounded theory framework. The results of open coding were grouped with the number of 86 conceptual labels, 26 subcategories, and 10 categories. The results of axial coding indicated that the causal conditions were a tourists' antisocial behavior, realistic threats, and symbolic threats. While a central phenomenon was the disruption of human settlements, contextual conditions were tourists-directed places, overlooked local characteristics, the gap between expectations and actualities. Intervening conditions were insufficient management of local governments. Actions/interactions were the reinforced ownership mindset and the consequence was the formation of tourism phobia. Furthermore, according to the results of selective coding, the core category was 'showing hostility toward threat through the reinforced ownership mindset'. The study provides theoretical and managerial implications for the development of sustainable urban tourism through providing a coping strategy on tourism phobia.