Abstract
Emotions are a key component of tourism experiences, as emotions make experiences more valued and more memorable. Peak-and-end-theory states that overall experience evaluations are best predicted by the emotions at the most intense and final moments of an experience. Peak-and-end-theory has mostly been studied for relatively simple experiences. Recent insights suggest that peak-and-end-theory does not necessarily hold for tourism experiences, which tend to be more heterogeneous and multi-episodic in nature. Through the novel approach of using electrophysiological measures in combination with experience reconstruction, the applicability of the peak-and-end-theory to the field of tourism is addressed by studying a musical theatre show in a theme park resort. Findings indicate that for a multi-episodic tourism experience, hypotheses from the peak-and-end-theory are rejected for the experience as a whole, but supported for individual episodes within the experience. Furthermore, it is shown that electrophysiology sheds a new light on the temporal dynamics of experience. • Evaluates peak-end-theory through physiological and self-reported emotion measures. • Skin conductance and experience reconstruction measures were used in tandem. • Peak-end-theory is not supported when experience is considered as a single whole. • Peak-end-theory is supported when experience is considered as multi-episodic. • Physiological measures of emotion are useful to capture temporal experience dynamics.
Highlights
Experience is one of the most important and prevalent concepts in the field of travel and tourism (Scott, Gao, & Ma, 2017)
Several accounts in the tourism literature have suggested that the memorability of an experience is largely determined by the extent to which emotions are triggered during that experience (Bastiaansen et al, 2019; Del Bosque & San Martín, 2008)
The findings reported in this study confirm that emotionally engaging tourism and leisure participants is a key factor in determining overall experience evaluations
Summary
Experience is one of the most important and prevalent concepts in the field of travel and tourism (Scott, Gao, & Ma, 2017). Several accounts in the tourism literature have suggested that the memorability of an experience is largely determined by the extent to which emotions are triggered during that experience (Bastiaansen et al, 2019; Del Bosque & San Martín, 2008). This is in line with general psychological theories of episodic memory, which propose that emo tions have memory-enhancing properties (Kensinger, 2009; Kensinger & Schacter, 2008). Customer or visitor emotions form a crucial ingredient in both the memorability, evaluation and appreciation of their experience products. Over the last decade, the study of emotions has become a hot topic in tourism research (Hosany, Martin, & Woodside, 2020; Joo, Cho, Woosnam, & Suess, 2020; Volo, 2021)
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