Savouring tourist experiences

Sebastian Filep, Dan Cao, Min Jiang, Terry DeLacy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Currently, there are no major models of savouring in leisure and tourism studies. This paper reports on an exploratory study that investigated how tourists reminisce about or retrospectively savour, their holiday experiences. We aimed to identify which positive emotions are experienced by tourists when they reminisce about past holiday events and what types of tourist experiences are associated with their positive emotions. Using thematic content analysis, we examined 181 written travel blogs of a group of Chinese independent tourists following their trip to Australia. The emotion of joy was the most savoured emotion, followed by interest, contentment and love. Joy, interest and contentment were most commonly linked to experiences that involved observations of natural scenery, while love was the emotion that was linked to acts of kindness with the locals. The study reported in the paper supports existing knowledge on the relationship between experiencing positive emotions and being in nature.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 5th International Colloquium on Tourism and Leisure
Pages191-203
Number of pages13
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
Event5th International Colloquium on Tourism and Leisure - Bangkok, Thailand
Duration: 9 Jul 201212 Jul 2012
https://conferencealerts.com/show-event?id=ca1i8ix8

Conference

Conference5th International Colloquium on Tourism and Leisure
Country/TerritoryThailand
CityBangkok
Period9/07/1212/07/12
Internet address

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