Destination Attributes of Memorable Chinese Rural Tourism Experiences: Impact on Positive Arousal, Memory and Behavioral Intention

Abstract

Purpose There is a lack of research on the composition of destination attributes of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) and their impact on tourist loyalty in Chinese rural tourism. Based on the extended SOR (stimulus-organism-response) theory, this study constructs a model of destination attributes (gastronomy, accommodation, physiography, and rural lifestyle) of MTEs on tourists’ recommend intention and revisit intention under the chain mediating effect of positive arousal and memory in Chinese rural tourism. Methods Through the judgment sampling method, this study distributed questionnaires to the subjects who met the sampling standard in all provincial administrative regions in China. Finally, 270 valid questionnaires from 29 provincial administrative regions were obtained and the proposed hypotheses were verified using a structural equation model. Results The results show that gastronomy, accommodation, physiography and rural lifestyle are all destination attributes of MTEs in Chinese rural tourism, and all have a positive impact on positive arousal. In addition, they are positively correlated with recommend intention and revisit intention through the chain mediating effect of positive arousal and memory. Conclusion This study explored the impact mechanism of destination attributes of MTEs on tourist destination loyalty in the field of Chinese rural tourism to enrich findings pertaining to the study of MTEs in different contexts. Four destination attributes of MTEs were proposed and verified, and this study also confirmed that destination attributes of MTEs vary with respect to the research context. The new destination attribute of MTEs was discovered. The research results showed that managers can deliver MTEs to tourists through optimizing gastronomy, accommodation, physiography and rural lifestyle, thus generating positive arousal, deepening their memory and then gaining their loyalty. In addition, the extended SOR theory proved that it could effectively and comprehensively explain the influencing mechanism of MTEs on tourist loyalty.

Development Drivers of Rural Summer Health Tourism for the Urban Elderly: A Demand- and Supply-Based Framework

“…This result is consistent with Pan et al [166] and Hsu et al [58], who suggested that the accelerating rate of aging in China is responsible for the increase in potential tourists. The current study found that tourist revisits and recommendation behavior are demand drivers for RSHTUE development, consistent with the findings that satisfaction [99] and memorable travel experiences [100] influence revisit and recommendation behavior. Moreover, this study found that good social order at the destination is a supply driver for RSHTUE development.…”

“…(4) Tourists' revisits and recommendations Factors influencing tourists' revisits and recommendation behavior include tourists' satisfaction [99], memorable travel experiences [100], and trust [101]. As a tourist (F15) said, "I have been coming to Zhongyuan Township every year from July to September for over 10 years.…”

Gastronomi Turizmi Kapsamında Rize deki Restoranlara Yapılan Çevrim İçi Yorumların İncelenmesi (Examination of Online Comments Made on Restaurants in Rize within the Scope of Gastronomy Tourism)

“…Gastronomi turizmi yalnızca zevk, eğlence ve heyecan sunan hedonik bir ürün değil, aynı zamanda turistlerin kendi kültürleri ile temas ettikleri diğer kültürler arasındaki farklılıkları keşfetmeleri, anlamaları ve paylaşmaları için bir araç olarak hizmet etmektedir (Antón vd., 2019). Gastronomi turizmi, turizm deneyiminin önemli bir parçasıdır ve coğrafi konumların gelenekleri, alışkanlıkları ve tarihi aracılığıyla yerel kültürü temsil etmektedir (Singh vd., 2022;Huang & Bu, 2022). Ayrıca, gıda ve mutfak bilimi, beslenme, sağlık, ekonomi, antropoloji, tarih, coğrafya ve sanat gibi alanlarla ilgili disiplinler arası bir kavram olarak nitelendirilmiştir (Seçuk vd., 2022).…”