Benefits of visiting a multicultural festival: The case of South Korea

This paper investigates the visitor benefits gained from attending a multicultural festival in South Korea. It aims to improve the understanding of such festivals, and explore the contribution of multicultural festivals to building multicultural societies. Four key factors were identified in terms of benefits gained: transformational, cognitive, social, and affective benefits. Differences were found between the visitor benefits of the dominant population and those of migrants. The findings may assist stakeholders to better understand how multicultural festivals contribute to social harmony and social integration, particularly in countries experiencing significant shifts in ethnic composition.

► Multicultural festivals contribute to the development of multiculturalism. ► Multicultural festival attendance helps change the visitors’ attitude positively. ► Visitors gain transformational benefit from attending a multicultural festival.