Too many destinations to visit: Tourists’ dilemma?

Abstract

Despite the common belief that more is better, travelers do not prefer having many choices when considering vacation destinations. We investigate why choice overload effects occur and how they can be attenuated through five studies. First, as a solution for mitigating choice overload effects, we introduce “self-confidence” as a boundary condition. Unlike travelers with low self-confidence, travelers with high self-confidence do not experience choice overload effects. Second, we demonstrate that perceived uncertainty mediates the relation between choice-set size and destination evaluations. Finally, we prove that choice overload exists not only in the late stages of the travel decision-making process but also in its early stages. We contribute to the existing literature on tourist behavior, travel decision-making, and choice overload.