Exploratory study on popular song-driven tourism : Semantic network analysis on destination themed popular song’s lyrics featuring destination and lady

This study aimed to suggest theoretical and practical significance on popular song-driven tourism by analyzing lyrics at exploratory level. Tourism studies are expanding their horizons connecting tourism and entertainment. Among the entertainment genres, song is the most abstract form of delivering message to audience, which enable to sharing the intended images. Tourist consumed the image of the destination and buyer of popular song indirectly consume the song-image loaded destination in turn. Noting that destination themed popular songs were frequently appearing on market and lyrics of those songs include ladies, the research is focused on destination and lady mixed title song. Total 139 song’s lyrics were analyzed by using TEXTOM and UCINET tools. Study found 50 frequently-featured words, constructed semantic network of lyrics and revealed network’s structural and hierarchical relations by CONCOR analysis. Reliability tested by peer debriefing method. Lady, love, heart, mind and today were frequently appeared and have high degree centrality, which constructed semantic network in lyrics: lady in destination are longing for lovers in which lady is personified form of destination and in turn destination is place to return for lover. Also separated place, hometown, empathy and longing for lovers were found as four discourses of songs above. Semantic analysis also deepen the popular song-driven tourism discussion such as lady as destination ambassador, destination located song monument and local product. Significances of research that popular songs possibly are used as tourism contents. Basically one of traits of entertainment contents its connectivity. Limitations also included at the end of article.