Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Dr. Soo Kang is an Associate Professor in the Hospitality Management Program at Colorado State University. Her main research area is broadly consumer behaviors in the hospitality and tourism areas. Specifically, she has conducted research on how people’s quality of life interplays in the context of tourism consumption. Her research offers theoretical explanations for the contemporary outlook of quality of life in the age of modern tourism era and provides strong empirical evidence for the contributions of tourism and hospitality consumption to people’s quality of life issues. Dr. Kang’s another research interest is gambling management. She has conducted and published studies on residents’ quality of life issues in gambling communities both in Colorado and South Korea.

Abstract (150 Words)

The purpose of the study was to examine residents’ perceptions of the state image, place attachment, benefit, and support for legalized marijuana tourism in the state of Colorado. Specifically, this study investigated the causal relationships between image, place attachment, benefit, and support of marijuana tourism. The data was collected from 250 undergraduate students who were studying hospitality management and global tourism management at a land grant university in Colorado, USA. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out to examine the hypothesized relationships in the proposed model. The findings of the study conclude that affective image and place attachment, which are both pertinent to one’s emotional and psychosocial aspects, are strongly correlated, whereas cognitive image which are objective and evaluative in nature is irrelevant to place attachment. Strong significant relationships between place attachment and benefit, and benefit and support were observed.

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One year after legalized cannabis: Residents’ image, place attachment, and support of marijuana tourism in Colorado

The purpose of the study was to examine residents’ perceptions of the state image, place attachment, benefit, and support for legalized marijuana tourism in the state of Colorado. Specifically, this study investigated the causal relationships between image, place attachment, benefit, and support of marijuana tourism. The data was collected from 250 undergraduate students who were studying hospitality management and global tourism management at a land grant university in Colorado, USA. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out to examine the hypothesized relationships in the proposed model. The findings of the study conclude that affective image and place attachment, which are both pertinent to one’s emotional and psychosocial aspects, are strongly correlated, whereas cognitive image which are objective and evaluative in nature is irrelevant to place attachment. Strong significant relationships between place attachment and benefit, and benefit and support were observed.