Do experiential destination attributes create emotional arousal and memory? : A comparative research approach

Abstract

Designing experiences has a crucial importance for the destinations whose economies are based on tourism income. In this context, the main goals of this study are; (a) to examine experiential attributes of destination associated with memorable tourist experiences, (b) to analyze the relationships between tourists’ destination experience, emotional arousal, memorability, satisfaction, and post-experience behaviors, (c) to compare and examine structural equation models associated with tourism destinations marketed differently, and (d) to find out the prominent attributes arousing emotions of tourists. The findings revealed that experiential destination components are as follows: localness, activities, hospitality, infrastructure, novelty, service quality, superstructure, gastronomy, value for money, and affection. The findings confirm that emotional arousal is related to attributes being the dominant determinant of post-experience behaviors and memorability. The SEM puts forward positive relationships between the constructs, and an emotional arousal-based memorable destination experience (EMDE) model has been verified statistically.