Abstract
The aim of this conceptual article is to propose a comprehensive model that explains the impact of different relational variables on tourists’ behavioral intention (i.e., revisit intention and recommendation intention) and the relationship between those relational variables. Based on the existing studies and findings, the proposed model is strongly related with destination personality, self-congruity as well as tourists’ emotional experience and behavioral intention. Particularly, self-congruity performed as a potential mediator between destination personality and behavioral intention; meanwhile, the model incorporated tourists’ emotional experience as a potential moderator between self-congruity and behavioral intention. This conceptual article makes significant contributions to tourism literature by proposing an integrated model. It serves as a reference for tourism marketing practitioners who can derive insights into the potential economic advantages such as tourists’ loyalty and tourists’ behavioral benefits in the form of revisit intention and recommendation intention which can result from the effective implementation of marketing strategies.
Highlights
Tourists’ experiences are essential in tourism and hospitality industry
The focus is on the synergistic impact when tourists’ emotional experiences are integrated with self-congruity to propose moderating effect which leads to intention to revisit and recommend
The current article draws attention to complex associations between destination personality, self-congruity, and behavior intention, incorporating a pivotal construct that has yet been explored in the related literature, namely tourists’ emotional experience
Summary
Tourists’ experiences are essential in tourism and hospitality industry. As competition is getting more intensified, there is an increasing recognition that destinations must provide their consumers with unforgettable tourism experiences so that their competitiveness can be strengthened (Neuhofer et al, 2012, 2015). The focus is on the synergistic impact when tourists’ emotional experiences (i.e., love, joy and positive surprise) are integrated with self-congruity to propose moderating effect which leads to intention to revisit and recommend. This conceptual model is drawn on the basis of self-congruity theory and Plutchik’(1980) typology. The current article draws attention to complex associations between destination personality, self-congruity, and behavior intention, incorporating a pivotal construct that has yet been explored in the related literature, namely tourists’ emotional experience. Our proposed conceptual framework can help tourism industry, policy makers, and DMOs to make informed decisions when it comes to implementing effective marketing strategies
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