Towards Understanding the Effects of Time and Emotions on the Vacation Experience

Keywords

Affect, Customer experience, memory, customer emotions, theme park, vacation

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to uncover how emotions change (or remain constant) throughout the course of the vacation experience. Although the importance of affective experiences has been recognized in the literature, the momentary effects of each stage of the vacation on the overall appraisal of the experience deserve more attention.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey instrument was developed using the PANAS scale. Customers were asked for their emotions at different points of their vacation. Data were analysed using multinomial logistic regression, correlations and path analysis.

Findings

The results indicate that it is possible for guests to experience different affective states at different parts of the vacation experience. Furthermore, it is also likely for each service experience to impact the next service, in spite of the apparent distinction between them. Finally, the researchers noted the tendency of consumers to recall mostly positive emotions, thus raising the possibility of various kinds of memory biases in recalling a vacation experience.

Originality/value

Emotions are by their very nature momentary. Consequently, these affective states can change over time, especially over a vacation spanning several days. Therefore, the present research contributes to the literature, in that it measures emotions at various points in time, determines the impact of emotions towards one service provider on the next and ascertains the impact of said emotions on the overall vacation experience.

Publication Date

2017

Original Citation

Torres, E.N., Wei, W., Hua, N. (2017). Towards understanding the effects of time and emotions on the vacation experience. Tourism Review, 72(4), 357-374.

Document Type

Paper

Source Title

Tourism Review

Volume

72

Issue

4

College

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Location

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

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