Does the Listener Matter? The Effects of Capitalization on Storytellers’ Evaluations of Travel Memories

Abstract

Despite existing studies on memorable tourism experiences that often involve interpersonal sharing, the broader question of how a listener could influence tourists’ memories, including their evaluations of posttravel experiences and destination image, remains relatively unexplored. Interpersonal sharing with a listener could elicit a process called capitalization in which an individual (re)constructs details of an experience to make it more memorable. To address this gap, this research examines the effects of capitalization on travel memories (study 1), and the influence of listener responsiveness on tourists’ destination image (study 2). This research reinforces the notion that separating the act of remembering from the act of sharing is difficult and contributes to research on the malleability of travel memories by highlighting the influence of the listener’s feedback in shaping tourists’ memorable experiences. This research also provides relevant implications for tourism practitioners involved in service experiences and tourist relationship building.