This study was started from awareness of problems of stagnation and declination of Korean tourist destinations. Presently, 230 places have been designated, made, and operated 47 years after the designation of Taejongdae as the first tourist destination in 1969. Especially, based on the life cycle theory of Butler that tourist places change as time goes by, causes of stagnation and declination of Korean tourist destinations were analyzed. As the solution, a study of a regeneration index of tourist destinations has been processed.
The study was carried out in order to highlight interests in the regeneration of Korean tourist destinations which are stagnating and declining and comprehend problems of the places and finally solve them. For them, by setting up three detailed goals, it was processed.
First, it is analysis of stages of the life cycle of Korean tourist destinations. The analysis was carried out through the grasp of current conditions of the tourist destinations. Via this, present conditions of stagnated and declined tourist destinations could be apprehended. Second, it is the cause analysis. To regenerate them into effective tourist destinations, understanding of problems should be first. For it, the cause analysis of the stagnation and declination was implemented. Lastly, it is the regeneration index study to solve the problems. To find out specific solutions according to the causes, the regeneration index of tourist destinations was tried to be extracted.
This study was processed designating 230 tourist destinations registered by the TOURISM PROMOTION ACT. The study methods were conducted by dividing them into three stages. The first stage is stage analysis of the life cycle of Korean tourist destinations. By the theory of Butler, the tourist life cycle was analyzed. At the analysis result, tourist destinations in the stages of stagnation and declination were extracted. The second is stages of stagnation, declination, cause analysis, and classification of the tourist destinations. Aiming at stagnated and declined tourist destinations, through the cause assessment index, the causes are analyzed. Classification of a cause types was done. The last is a study stage of the regeneration index of the stagnated and declined tourist destinations. By extraction of a pre-index via a pre-study and by analysis of the Delphi Method and the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) with the extracted pre-index, the regeneration index was extracted. Then, from using the extracted regeneration index of tourist destinations, the regeneration index per type of a cause of stagnation and declination was proposed.
At the analysis result of the life cycle stage of Korean tourist destinations, 38.7% of Korean tourist destinations were analyzed to be stagnated and declined destinations. Occurrence of social, economic, and environmental problems were predicted because these tourist destinations were over the accommodation capacity in a state of exceeding the highest score in the number of tourists. So, it could be inferred that tourism resources of tourist destinations have lost the attraction gradually and local intrinsic tourism resources have changed into artificial environments.
The result of cause analysis and classification of stagnated and declined tourist destinations was implemented for the cause analysis about the stagnated and declined tourist destinations. As internal factors, there were a factor of preservation of tourist resources, factors of tourist use diversity and sustainability, a factor of tourists’ convenience, and factors of public capital investment and facility improvement. As external factors, a factor of external capital investment, a factor of accessibility of tourist destinations, and a factor of competitiveness of tourism resources were extracted
For the study result of the regeneration index of the stagnated and declined tourist destinations, as solutions to the causes analyzed above, the study of the regeneration index of tourist destinations was processed. The regeneration index of the stagnated and declined tourist destinations was extracted into seven upper attributes, 22 lower attributes, and 65 detailed indexes.
When considered on the basis of the result, as matters to be improved internally for the regeneration of tourist destinations, it is thought that all of business implementors, business operators, and local residents related with the stagnated and declined tourist destinations are necessary to recognize problems. It is judged that recognition started from the problems will make the regeneration business realized successfully.
As matters supported outside for the regeneration of tourist destinations, it is thought that there should be interest in the stagnated and declined tourist destinations and effort to regenerate them. The effort will realize the regeneration of tourist destinations in a direction that everybody wants when thinking over preparation for ways to activate the tourist destinations through the regeneration with interest in the stagnated and declined tourist destinations by local residents in administrative districts where the tourist destinations belong, professional enterprises relevant to tourism (travel agencies, accommodations, and so on), connected academic circles, and research institutes as well as business implementors and business operators related with the tourist destinations.
A matter to be considered politically for the regeneration of tourist destinations is a problem of financial resources. For the regeneration, securement of economic resources should be preceded essentially. But, only with budgets of local government units which are operated in limited financial resources, the regeneration is difficult to implement. So, it is judged that the central government takes interest in the regeneration of tourist destinations and makes effort to improve systems so that private investment can be activated together with plans of budget securement. On properties of tourism industry as high value-added industry, if the regeneration of tourist destinaions is realized successfully, activation of local economy and effect of employment creation of local residents can be expected.
Although this study divided tourist destinations per type according to the cause of stagnation and declination, it is judged that development of a regeneration index by each type via type separation of diverse tourist destinations will be possible in future studies. Plus, even though the places were analyzed only with one material like annual numbers of tourists in this study, it is thought that various analyses of the stages of the life cycle of tourist destinations will be implemented by future studies through diverse data such as expenditure of tourists, changes of sales amount and profits of tourist companies, and so on and also comparative examination with this study will be possible. Lastly, based on the extracted results through the study, progress of studies to apply the results to really stagnated and declined tourist destinations will be thought to be possible.
Studies on the regeneration of tourist destinations are still in their infancy, and lots of studies will be carried out later. It is hoped that this study will be helpful for them though it is not great. Further, it is expected that following researchers will be able to extract developed study results one step forward via this study

Key words: Tourist Destinations Regeneration, Regeneration Index of Tourist Destinations, Stage of a Life Cycle of Tourist Destinations, Cause of Stagnation and Declination of Tourist Destinations, Regeneration Index of Tourist Destinations per Type of a Cause of Stagnation and Declination