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Tourists' memories, sensory impressions and loyalty: In loco and post-visit study in Southwest Portugal

Dora Agapito, Patrícia Pinto and Júlio Mendes

Tourism Management, 2017, vol. 58, issue C, 108-118

Abstract: This study aims to offer some insights on the contribution of sensory diversity as perceived by tourists to memorable destination experiences and to explore the connection between long-term memory of sensory impressions and destination loyalty. The vital role of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences is stressed by current tourism research and supported by a multidisciplinary view on the role of the five external senses in human perception, memory, and behavior. While the marketing management approach highlights the importance of considering multisensory information in the process of facilitating positive and memorable destination experiences, there is a lack of empirical research to validate the theoretical literature. A two-step exploratory study was conducted in loco and six months after tourists' visits to Southwest Portugal. The findings suggest that perceived richer sensory tourist experiences may have a significant role in the long-term memory of individuals’ experiences, encouraging favorable tourist behavior towards destinations.

Keywords: Sensory tourist experiences; Sensescapes; Long-term memory; Destination loyalty; Southwest Portugal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:touman:v:58:y:2017:i:c:p:108-118

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.015

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