A Study on the Selection Criteria for Workation Destinations

Workation is a concept that combines work and leisure, enabling individuals to work flexibly and creatively in remote environments while taking breaks to recharge. Designed to enhance productivity and employee well-being, workation has gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the growing trends of remote work and social distancing. As a result, competition among tourism-focused cities to attract workation participants has intensified. Regions like Gangwon, Jeju, and Busan have established dedicated workation spaces, with innovative programs offered by local cities and startups to attract workation travelers. While studies on workation have focused primarily on environmental design and policy directions, there is still a lack of research on the decision-making criteria used by participants to select workation destinations. This study aims to identify the decision-making factors considered in workation situations, where individuals must balance work and leisure, and measure the relative importance of each factor. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), this study extracts the key criteria for selecting workation destinations and determines their relative weights. The findings are expected to provide a foundation for future workation research and contribute to strategic planning for enhancing the competitiveness of tourism-oriented cities.