The role emotions play in loyalty and WOM intention in a Smart Tourism Destination Management

Abstract

This study applies an extension of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) by including moral regulation and negative and positive emotions to determine the attitudinal and emotional factors that influence tourist loyalty and word-of-mouth. Structural equation modeling was applied to a sample of 303 face-to-face interviews with tourists visiting the smart tourism destination of Cáceres, a city that has also been declared a World Heritage site. The results indicate that the original components of the TPB, moral norms and positive and negative emotions significantly impact loyalty and intention to recommend the smart destination. Additionally, the proportion of variance explained shows that including moral norms and positive and negative emotions significantly improve the explanatory power of the original model. The joint communication of information in local campaigns and through social networks offering memorable experiences is the main strategy destination managers should follow in order to promote socially and environmentally responsible attitudes, positive emotions, and a greater intention to recommend the destination and build loyalty to it.