Abstract
For years, the central tenet in consumer research has assumed a highly rational model of consumer behaviour. Under this perspective, consumers are seen to intentionally choose brands or purchase products solely on the basis of reasons (Holbrook et al. 1990). However, a number of scholars challenge this assumption and since the early 1980s, research has shifted to reactive view, focussing on the experiential aspects of consumption. A number of studies have investigated the role of emotion in aspects of consumption such as satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Similarly, emotions play an important role in tourism given its pleasure-seeking activities and the hedonic nature of the experience (Otto and Ritchie, 1996). Emotional reactions to the tourism experience influence satisfaction, behavioural intention, attitude judgements and destination choice. Yet, research on the affective dimensions of tourists' experience remains sparse with empirical evidence appearing only recently (Ekinci and Hosany, 2006). More specifically, no studies exist to understand tourist emotional responses towards destinations visited. Accordingly, this research attempts to contribute to the literature by addressing two key questions; what is the structure of tourists' emotional responses towards tourist destinations?; and what are the determinants and consequences of these emotional responses? The research question were tested by means of two empirical studies (Study 1: N=200; Study 2: N=520). In order to examine the first research question. Study 1 adopts a rigorous and methodologically sound approach to scale development. For the second objective, to investigate the determinants of tourists' emotional responses. Study 2 builds on cognitive the appraisal theories of emotions. In turn, how these emotions influence post-consumption behaviours such as satisfaction and intention to recommend are also examined. This research makes several theoretical contributions to the literature and offers important implications for destination marketers. In particular, a reliable and valid destination emotion scale (DES) was developed, consisting of three salient dimensions: joy, love and positive surprise. At the same time, consistent with theory, there was a significant effect of cognitive appraisals on emotional responses. Based on the study findings, a destination emotion model is proposed, linking appraisals, emotional responses and post-consumption evaluations. Finally, a number of future research agendas are highlighted.