The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between leisure
involvement and place attachment among water-based recreation participants. The
authors have collected data from 462 water sports participants who visited water
sports places in Gapyeong, Kyunggido, Korea. We hypothesized that there are positive
relationships between the dimensions of leisure involvement (i.e., attraction, centrality,
social bonding, identity affirmation, identity expression) and place attachment (i.e.,
place identity, place dependence, affective attachment, place social bonding). Also, we
tested whether Experience Use History(EUH) moderates these relationships. The
results showed that there were positive relationships between the three dimensions of
leisure involvement (i.e., attraction, centrality, social bonding) and the all dimensions
of place attachment. In addition, there was a moderating effect of EUH on the
hypothesized relationships. Compared to the people who have shorter experience use
history to the water recreation place, leisure involvement had much stronger impacts
on the dimensions of place attachment for those who have longer history with the
place.