Experiential Modules, Memory and Behavioral Intentions: the perspective of tourists in Algarve, Portugal

Authors

  • Ana Bender Universidade do Algarve
  • Milene Lança Universidade do Algarve
  • Manuela Guerreiro Universidade do Algarve
  • Patrícia Pinto Universidade do Algarve

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-4867.v33i3p73-93

Keywords:

Tourism Experience, Memory, Behavior, Tourists, Algarve

Abstract

For tourism destinations, developing strategies that use the experience marketing perspective is a vital path to remaining competitive, as well as understanding how the experiences determine tourists' decision-making. Anchored in literature gaps, this research intends to contribute to the understanding of the relationships between the five strategic experiential modules recommended by Schmitt (1999) - act, feel, sense, think, and relate - memory and behavioral intentions of tourists. Although memory and behavioral intentions are widely discussed in the literature, in the tourism marketing sphere, the influence of each experiential dimension still requires further investigation. Based on empirical research conducted in the Algarve region (South of Portugal), this study's main goal is to understand how tourists experience the destination and analyze their memories and future behavioral intentions. The results point out that, even if holistically, the consumption experience plays a critical role in the construction of tourists' behavioral intentions, when treated separately, the experiential modules present different influences on tourists. This phenomenon occurs not only in tourists' behavioral intentions, but also in their construction of memories regarding the destination. The results also highlight that in order to strengthen competitiveness, face seasonality, and improve itself as a tourism destination, it is crucial that the Algarve implements a long-term strategic planning focused on understanding its different tourist segments.

Downloads

Author Biographies

  • Ana Bender, Universidade do Algarve

    Doutoranda em Turismo pela Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. Docente do curso de Licenciatura em Gestão de Empresas da Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal.

  • Milene Lança, Universidade do Algarve

    Doutora em Turismo pela Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. Docente do curso de Licenciatura  em Sociologia da Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. 

  • Manuela Guerreiro, Universidade do Algarve

    Doutora em Ciências Económicas e Empresariais pela Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. Docente da Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. 

  • Patrícia Pinto, Universidade do Algarve

    Doutora em Métodos Quantitativos Aplicados à Economia e à Gestão pela Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. Docente da Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, Faro Algarve, Portugal. 

References

Afshardoost, M. & Eshaghi, M. S. (2020). Destination image and tourist behavioural intentions: A meta-analysis. Tourism Management, (81), 104154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104154.

Ali, F., Hussain, K. & Ragavan, N.A. (2014). Memorable customer experience: Examining the effects of customers experience on memories and loyalty in malaysian resort hotels. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences (144), 273–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.296.

Ali, F., Ryu. K., & Hussain, K. (2016). Influence of experiences on memories, satisfaction and behavioral intentions: a study of creative tourism. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 33(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2015.1038418.

Brakus, J.J., Schmitt, B.H., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand Experience: What is it? How is it Measured? Does it Affect Loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.73.3.052.

Butler, R. (1980). The concept of tourism area cycle of evolution: implications for management of resources. Canadian Geographer, 24 (1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1980.tb00970.x.

Campos, A. C., Mendes, J., Valle, P. O. & Scott, S. (2018). Co-creation of tourist experiences: A literature review. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(4), 369–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2015.1081158.

Chen, C. F & Chen, F. S. (2010). Experience quality, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioral intentions for heritage tourists. Tourism Management, 31, 29–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2009.02.008.

Coudounaris, D.N. & Sthapit, E. (2017). Antecedents of memorable tourism experience related to behavioral intentions. Psychology & Marketing, (34)12, 1084–1093. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21048.

Garrod, B. & Dowell, D. (2020). Experiential marketing of an underground tourist attraction. Tourism and Hospitality, 1(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp1010001.

Gentile, C., Spiller, S. & Noci, G. (2007). How to sustain the customer experience: an overview of experience components that co-create value with the customer. European Management Journal, 25(5), 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2007.08.005.

Holbrook, M. B. & Hirschman, E. C. (1982). The Experiential Aspects of Consumption: Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), 132-140. Disponível em: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2489122.

Hosany, S., & Witham, M. (2010). Dimensions of cruisers' experiences, satisfaction, and intention to recommend. Journal of Travel Research, 49(3), 351–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287509346859.

Ritchie, J. R. B., & Hudson, S. (2009). Understanding and meeting the challenges of consumer/tourist experience research. International Journal of Tourism Research, 11, 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.721.

Hung, W.L., Lee, Y.J., & Huang, P.H. (2014). Creative experiences, memorability and revisit intention in creative tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 1(8). 763–770. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2013.877422.

INE (2019). Anuário Estatístico da Região do Algarve 2018. Lisboa: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, I.P. Disponível em: https://www.ine.pt/ngt_ server/attachfileu.jsp?look_parentBoui=410520091&att_display=n&att_download=y.

INE (2022). Atividade Turística - Março de 2022: Estatísticas Rápidas. Lisboa: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, I.P. Disponível em: https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE &xpgid=ine_destaques&DESTAQUESdest_boui=536779461&DESTAQUESmodo=2.

Kastenholz, E., Carneiro, M.J., Marques, C.P. & Loureiro, S.M.C. (2018). The dimensions of rural tourism experience: Impacts on arousal, memory, and satisfaction. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(2), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1350617.

Kim, J. H. (2014). The antecedents of memorable tourism experiences: The development of a scale to measure the destination attributes associated with memorable experiences. Tourism Management, 44, 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.02.007.

Kim, J. H. (2022). Destination attributes affecting negative memory: Scale development and validation. Journal of Travel Research, 61(2), 331–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520977725.

Kim, J., Ritchie, J., & Tung, V. (2010). The effect of memorable experience on behavioral intentions in tourism: A structural equation modeling approach. Tourism Analysis, 15, 637–648. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354210X12904412049776.

Kim, M., & Thapa, B. (2018). Perceived value and flow experience: Application in a nature-based tourism context. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 8, 373–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.08.002.

Kumar, V. & Kaushik, A. K. (2018). Destination brand experience and visitor behavior: the mediating role of destination brand identification. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(5), 649–663. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1401032.

Larsen, S. (2007). Aspects of a psychology of the tourist experience. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 7(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250 701226014.

Le, D., Scott., N. & Lohmann, G. (2019). Applying experiential marketing in selling tourism dreams. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 36(2), 220–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2018.1526158.

Lee, B.K., Lee, C.K & Lee, J. (2014). Dynamic nature of destination image and influence of tourist overall satisfaction on image modification. Journal of Travel Research, 53(2), 239–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287513496466.

Marschall, S. (2012). Tourism and memory. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(4), 2216–2219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2012.07.001.

Martín-Santana, J.D., Beerli-Palacio, A. & Nazzareno, P.A. (2017). Antecedents and consequences of destination image gap. Annals of Tourism Research, 62, 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2016.11.001.

Moscardo, G. M. (2010). The shaping of tourist experience. the importance of stories and themes. In M. Morgan, P. Lugosi, & J. R. B. Ritchie (Eds.), The Tourism and Leisure Experience. Consumer And Managerial Perspectives, (pp. 43–58). Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications.

Oh, H., Fiore, M. A., & Jeoung, M. (2007). Measuring experience economy concepts: Tourism applications. Journal of Travel Research, 46(2), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287507304039.

Oliver, R. L. (1997). Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer. New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence Consumer Loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63, 33–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252099.

Park, M., Oh, H. & Park, J. (2010). Measuring the experience economy of film festival participants. International Journal of Tourism Sciences, 10(2), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/15980634.2010.11434625.

Pestana, M. H. & Gageiro, J. N. (2014). Análise de Dados para Ciências Sociais: A Complementaridade do SPSS. 6ª Edição. Lisboa: Edições Sílabo.

Pine, B. J. II., & Gilmore, J.H. (1998). Welcome to The Experience Economy. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 97–105. Disponível em: https://hbr.org/1998/07/welcome-to-the-experience-economy.

Prahalad, C. K. & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co-Creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing 18(3), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.20015.

Rather, A. R. (2020). Customer experience and engagement in tourism destinations: The experiential marketing perspective. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 37(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1686101.

Schank, R. C. (1999). Dynamic Memory Revisited. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Schmitt, B. & Zarantonello, L. (2013). Consumer Experience and experiential marketing: A critical review. Review of Marketing Research, 10, 25–61. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1548-6435(2013)0000010006.

Schmitt, B. (1999). Experiential Marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(1–3), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725799784870496.

Schmitt, B. (2010). Experience marketing: Concepts, frameworks and consumer insights. Foundations and Trends in Marketing, 5(2), 55–112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/1700000027.

Stienmetz, J. (2020). Managing the Structure of tourism experiences: Foundations for tourism design. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2019.100408.

Sthapit, E., Björk, P., & Coudounaris. D. N. (2017). Emotions elicited by local food consumption, memories, place attachment and behavioural intentions. Anatolia, 28(3), 363–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2017.1322111.

Sthapit, E., Chiappa, G., Coudounaris. D. N., & Björk, P. (2020). Tourism experiences, memorability and behavioural intentions: A study of tourists in Sardinia, Italy. Tourism Review, 75(3), 533–558. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-03-2019-0102.

Trauer, B. & Ryan, C. (2005). Destination image, romance and place - an application of intimacy theory in tourism. Tourism Management, 26, 481–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2004.02.014.

Tsaur, S. H., Chiu, Y. T., & Wang, C. H. (2007). The visitor's behavioral consequences of experiential marketing: An empirical Study on Taipei Zoo. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 21(1), 47–64. https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v21n01_04.

Tung, V. & Ritchie, J. (2011). Exploring the essence of memorable tourism experiences. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(4), 1367–1386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2011.03.009.

UNWTO (2019). International Tourism Highlights. Disponível em: https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421152.

UNWTO (2121). World Tourism Barometer. Disponível em: https://www.unwto.org/unwto-world-tourism-barometer-data.

UNWTO (2122). World Tourism Barometer. Disponível em: https://www.unwto.org/taxonomy/term/347.

Vargo, S.L. & Lusch, R.F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing. 68(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.1.24036.

Volo, S. (2021). The experience of emotion: Directions for tourism design. Annals of Tourism Research, 86 (2021) 103097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.103097.

WTA (2021). Europe's Leading Beach Destination 2021. Disponível em: https://www.worldtravelawards.com/award-europes-leading-beach-destination-2021.

Downloads

Published

2022-12-20

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 3 (2022): Setembro-Dezembro

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Ana Bender, Milene Lança, Manuela Guerreiro, Patrícia Pinto

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), allowing the sharing of the work with recognition of its authorship and initial publication in RTA. 

How to Cite

BENDER, Ana; LANÇA, Milene; GUERREIRO, Manuela; PINTO, Patrícia. Experiential Modules, Memory and Behavioral Intentions: the perspective of tourists in Algarve, Portugal. Revista Turismo em Análise, São Paulo, Brasil, v. 33, n. 3, p. 73–93, 2022. DOI: 10.11606/issn.1984-4867.v33i3p73-93. Disponível em: https://revistas.usp.br/rta/article/view/206342.. Acesso em: 25 mar. 2025.

Funding data