Tourism Affinity and Its Effects on Tourist and Resident Behavior

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence suggests that tourists do not only choose tourism destinations based on objective quality criteria. Rather, tourists may be drawn to certain destinations for reasons such as feelings of connection or affinity. This article provides a first examination of tourism affinity (TAFF) and its effects on tourism behavior. Tourists who are high on TAFF feel sympathy, admiration, or attachment toward a given country. In addition to examining TAFF, we also test the impact of tourism animosity (TANI) on a variety of resident and tourism behaviors. The results show that TAFF is a positive driver of several tourism-related outcomes, such as word of mouth and resident hospitality, while TANI drives general intention to visit and provide word of mouth but is a barrier to closer interactions. In addition, goal compatibility, relative power, and moral obligation drive TAFF while relative power drives TANI.