Purpose – Today's tourists are increasingly looking for an active, healthy and meaningful way to spend their time at a destination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to determine the key dimensions of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) that influence tourists' satisfaction with the vacation experience motivated by the beauty of nature and landscape, as well as the impact of satisfaction with vacation experience on behavioural intentions. Design – Using a structured questionnaire on pencil and paper, data were collected from a sample of 334 travellers who were citizens of the Republic of Croatia and whose primary motive for travel was to visit a natural attraction. Methodology/approach – The questionnaire adopted previously validated scales and was used to explore MTEs, satisfaction with the vacation experience and behavioural intentions. The hypotheses were empirically tested using partial least square structural equation modelling. Findings – The results show that not all MTE dimensions influence satisfaction with the vacation experience among tourists whose primary travel motive was the beauty of nature and landscape. Hedonism, refreshment, and involvement as MTE dimensions had a statistically significant influence on satisfaction with the vacation experience. In addition, satisfaction with the vacation experience had a statistically significant influence on several behavioural intentions, with the strongest influence on intention to recommend. Originality of the research – Tourists in nature-based destinations were found to exhibit specific behaviours, as not all MTE dimensions contribute equally to satisfaction with the vacation experience. This study extends the body of knowledge on tourism experience theory by empirically testing its premises on tourists motivated by the beauty of nature and landscape.

The purpose of this paper is to explain the role of market mavens in the tourist sector and to explore the importance of tourist experience co-creation in increasing loyalty to service providers. A survey was conducted on a sample of 425 Croatian residents who had travelled at least once in the year before the study. Two hypotheses were set and empirically tested by partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). This research confirms that market mavens are inclined to share tourist experiences and to engage in tourist experience co-creation. It also shows that if market mavens are co-creating tourist experience with travel professionals they are more likely to continue to collaborate with the same service provider, hence, demonstrating loyalty. This paper contributes to knowledge of consumer behaviour in tourism by emphasising the role of market mavens in co-creating tourist experience. The scientific contribution is found in testing the influence of market mavens on co-creating tourist experience and loyalty to service providers. The paper also explains the implications for service providers in tourism. Learning about the influence of market mavens on the process of co-creating tourist experience can help service providers to engage more with these individuals to enhance their loyalty.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for cooperation between tourists and travel professionals in creating a memorable visitor experience. The objectives of the study are twofold: first, to explain the concept of tourist experience co-creation and, second, to explore the relationships among tourist experience co-creation, customer satisfaction, overall travel satisfaction and customer loyalty towards travel professionals. Methodology -The study uses constructs from past literature. A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 422 Croatian residents who had travelled at least once in the year prior to the study. The hypotheses were empirically tested and validated by partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings -Participation in the co-creation process of an experience, together with travel professionals, positively affects customer satisfaction. Further, customer satisfaction with cocreation has a positive effect on overall travel satisfaction and customer loyalty to travel professionals. There is also evidence that overall travel satisfaction positively affects customer loyalty to service provider. Contribution -This study contributes to the knowledge of tourist experience co-creation within the theory of service-dominant logic and customer behaviour. The scientific contribution is found in testing the influence of tourist experience co-creation on tourist satisfaction and loyalty. The applicable contribution emphasises the necessity to include tourists as an active, involved and participating part in the process of providing services. Their involvement in this process will positively affect their satisfaction and loyalty.

This paper contributes to the debate about the relationships among tourism experience cocreation, satisfaction with vacation experience, satisfaction with the impact of vacation on overall life, life satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The main purpose of this paper is to point out the importance of tourist engagement in the co-creation of the vacation experience and the impact of satisfaction with that experience on life satisfaction and behavioral intentions. A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 263 international tourists who visited several tourist destinations in Croatia. To test the proposed model, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed. It has been established that co-creation of tourism experience significantly contributes to the satisfaction of tourists staying in a destination, which has a positive effect on life satisfaction and future behavioral intentions.

This paper aims to examine what kind of experience makes summer vacation memorable and consequently how it influences the overall satisfaction with a vacation experience. Based on literature review hypotheses were formulated in order to explore the multidimensionality of memorable tourist experience, the influence of different elements of memorable tourist experience on satisfaction with tourist vacation as well as the influence of satisfaction with vacation experience on the behavioural intention of tourists. For the purpose of the research, empirical research using paper and pencil questionnaire was carried out on the sample of 134 international tourists who visited traditional sun and sea destinations in Croatia in a broader Kvarner region during the summer of 2017. The research results, although of indicative nature only, point out that a memorable tourist experience consists of four different factors, namely hedonism and novelty, local culture, involvement and refreshment. Among them, local culture has the highest impact on overall satisfaction with summer vacation experience. Also, refreshment as a memorable tourist experience influences the overall vacation satisfaction. The research has also confirmed the positive relationship between the following elements: satisfaction with vacation experience on behavioural intentions that were measured through tourists’ intention to return to the destination, to recommend the destination to their friends and relatives, to share experience through social media and to spend more money in tourist destinations. The strongest relationship is between tourist satisfaction with vacation experience and the intention to recommend a destination followed by intention to revisit that destination if they feel satisfied with the experience provided. Managerial implications as well as limitations and ideas for further research are given.