The psychology of novelty in memorable tourism experiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT This manuscript critically assesses the relationship between novelty and memorable tourism experiences (MTEs). Prior literature indicates that novelty is an antecedent of attention, emotions, memory and behaviour. Despite this focus limited studies have considered the emergence of novelty in broader psychological literature. Subsequently, this manuscript explores the evolution of novelty across personality, behavioural, cognitive and neuropsychology. Drawing on a narrative review this manuscript observes that concepts from behavioural and personality psychology have traditionally dominated tourism literature. However, cognitive and neuropsychological approaches are emerging in prevalence, which presents an opportunity to advance discourse on MTEs. A core contribution of this manuscript is a visual representation which depicts the evolution of novelty across four schools of thought in psychology, outlining potential implications for the tourism scholarship. Future research on tourism experiences should consider advances in the parent discipline of psychology.