Awe: An Important Emotional Experience in Sustainable Tourism

Dong Lu, Yide Liu, Ivan Lai and Li Yang
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Dong Lu: School of Business, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101, China
Yide Liu: School of Business, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, Macau
Ivan Lai: Faculty of International Tourism and Management, City University of Macau, Avenida Padre Tomás Pereira, Taipa 999078, Macau
Li Yang: School of Economics and Management, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: “Awesome” is one of the most highly desirable experiences for tourists. This study investigates how tourists’ awe emotion is induced when tourists visit sacred mountains and how the awe experience influences their satisfaction. A survey is administrated at a famous sacred mountain in China—Mount Emei. Results reveal that the awe experience is more elicited by the perceived vastness of natural environment for secular tourists, while is more encouraged by the perceived sanctity of religious ambience for pilgrim tourists. Awe experience is a mediator between the sense of perceptual vastness/sanctity and tourists’ satisfaction. The mediation relationships through awe experience are moderated by the visitor types (pilgrims and secular tourists). Findings suggest that destination marketers should apply tourism strategies to encourage tourists’ sense of awe.

Keywords: sustainable tourism; awe experiences; perceived environment; pilgrims; secular tourists (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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