tourist experience questionnaire

• Tourist Survey: What It Is, Tips & Examples

Introduction

A tourist survey helps you to gather relevant information quickly. The data gathered in this survey is mainly sourced from tourists and people who have traveled widely for leisure.

Tourist surveys are an effective way to gain insight into the kind of people that visit your location, frequently. This way, you can predict future trends, display the typical visitor behavior and have the right persona of an ideal traveler or tourist. 

In this guide, we will show you what a tourist survey is, ways in which you can put them to use, the benefits some tips, and lots more.

What is a Tourist Survey?

A tourist survey is a research tool, that helps you collect information from people who have traveled frequently for leisure. This set of people are called tourists.

A tourist survey, hence, focuses on collecting information from people on the places they visited, the level of service they received, the hospitality of the locals in the area, the weather, the cost of leisure, entertainment accommodation, etc. It covers any information you want to gather about people’s experiences as it relates to travel. 

With this information or data, you can share information with others that provide relevant information on areas people would want to visit.

Tourist Survey Uses

Tourist surveys can be used for various purposes. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Travel Agencies

Data from tourist surveys can be used to gather insight into choice destinations, the kind of activities that certain tourists enjoy, the number of funds they expend, etc. This information can be used to create custom campaigns to attract people to this destination that are now part of the areas your travel agency cover. 

Hotel Management

In the same way, hotels can use these surveys to discover what people truly think of the services they offer, from the cleanliness of their rooms to the quality of food, the cost, and the overall customer experience. This feedback would help them improve on weak areas and capitalize on their areas of strength as unique selling points. 

Government Agencies

Government establishments can use this data to drive more visitors to their country and generate revenue. With this information, they can create policies that encourage travel to their country and also create campaigns to create awareness about certain choice locations to create new streams of income for their citizens and invariably benefit from it.  

Tourist Survey Advantages

The advantages of tourist surveys are numerous and they include;

• The creation of custom strategies that would increase tourist visits to a particular location.
• Creation of targeted activities that would appeal to tourists based on data gleaned.
• Provision of excellent customer experience, that would speak to the unique needs of the tourist, as expressed in the survey forms.
• Create better strategies that allow the increase of tourists, both for companies and governments.
• Better activities can be created for the interest of tourists.
• Companies and organizations can offer a good experience to customers by knowing their needs.

Doing online surveys for tourists has a significant advantage since the visitor is given the option of being able to respond from any mobile device at the time they want.

Large amounts of information can be obtained about the most visited tourist sites to create better strategies for them to continue generating income.

With tourist surveys, you can create publicity for areas loved by tourists and achieve the following.

• Honest feedback

Tourist surveys are one of the ways to gather objective and honest feedback that can only be gathered from travelers who have truly experienced all that a particular location has to offer. With this information, you can get valuable insights into what their perspectives are, on exhibits, events, and their general visitor experience.

• Your Visitors Know That Their Opinion Counts

Gathering feedback via a survey like this one helps to let your respondents know that their opinion counts for something. Especially when you take actions based on their feedback, this builds trust in whatever brand you represent. 

• Customer Persona

Do you wonder exactly who is coming to visit your attraction? Not only can a survey provide feedback about your destination, but it’s also an opportunity to collect demographic data about your visitors so you can better understand your audience and market to them more effectively. It may even reveal an opportunity to tap into a new market you hadn’t thought of before. 

• Create Actionable Goals.  

Feedback from your visitors can help you can set realistic goals that will lead to impactful change within your organization. Any concerns raised by visitors can be converted into goals to be addressed. Equipped with the knowledge of what your visitors want you can turn your survey into fuel to grow your attraction’s bottom line this summer.

• Track Your Growth

With consistent surveys, you can track your growth and changes made as a result of the feedback from your visitors.

Tourist Survey Tips

A tourist survey is a tool that allows you to collect information about people’s opinions about the place they visited or the services they received. Through a survey, people can provide data that allows us to measure the service quality, the facilities’ safety and hygiene, assess the places they visited, the activities they carried out, etc.

A tourist survey mainly allows us to obtain quality information quickly. This data comes directly from tourists or travel enthusiasts. Online surveys for tourism reduce costs and facilitate execution for specialized personnel who carry it out.

If you are going to create a survey for tourists, these tips would help. Remember that not everyone would respond to the study or speak the same language as you.

Design short surveys that allow you to collect enough information for your goals, especially because when someone is visiting a city, they usually do not plan to use that time to fill out a questionnaire. Outlined below are tips that would help you create your tourist survey.

Tip 1: Brainstorm

The thought of conducting research and getting valuable insight is an intriguing one. Oftentimes, we get caught up in the excitement of it all, and we lose sight of the main objectives.

Before jumping in and writing visitor survey questions, ask yourself what you want to learn.

Are you looking to better understand who is visiting? Or maybe you would rather learn what attractions are the biggest draws.

No matter what you’re looking to get out of the research, it’s essential to have a game plan.

With a clear understanding of what it is you want to learn, you can draft a better, cleaner survey. Having a game plan also keeps you focused when it comes to analyzing the data later on.

Tip 2: Check Your Sample Sources

Many tourism organizations have access to visitor databases, either through opt-in email lists or other databases that collect guest information.

Therefore, it can be helpful to work with other agencies and organizations in your region to see what is available.

Tip 3: Go Online, Go Mobile

Online tourism surveys are one of the best types of market research methodologies . It’s a practical and cost-effective way of gathering high-quality data in a short period. All age groups are conversant with this digital technology.

Tip 4: Keep It Short, Engaging, and Simple

Nobody wants to take a 15 to 20-minute survey. We find the ideal travel and tourism survey to be 15 to 20 questions in length. The 5 minutes mark has been identified as a threshold where many respondents abandon the survey. For this reason, keep the survey short.

Make sure the respondent is engaged throughout the travel survey. Change the scales from question to question using sliders, visual images, or grids. 

No one likes a 1 to 5 scale question rating 20 different rows on a grid. Keep your survey engaging.

Lastly, keep it simple. No need to use big words or confusing phrases. Ensure questions are short, unbiased, and to the point.

Examples of Questions for Tourists

Examples of questions for tourists:

• What is your preferred means of transport to travel?
• What kind of place do you like to visit when you travel for leisure?
• How often do you go on a trip?
• What season of the year is your best time to travel?
• What kind of activities do you enjoy when you travel?
• Where was the last place you visited on vacation?
• What factors do you consider when purchasing a travel package?
• Where do you like to stay?
• How do you find accommodation?
• On average, what price would you consider ideal for a travel package?
• When making a trip, do you prefer company or would you rather go alone?

Tourist surveys are one of the quickest ways to increase your revenue and offer visitors the kind of service they want during their stay.

How To Create a Tourist Survey With Formplus

Formplus is the preferred offline and online data collection tool for creating and administering surveys and questionnaires in research. With Formplus , you can build different types of online tourist surveys with the various tools and features in our form builder. Better still, you can choose from the wide assortment of templates, which are ready to use and can be customized to suit your preference.

 Here’s how to make the most of an Online/Offline Survey with Formplus:

• Log into your Formplus account at www.formpl.us to get started. If you do not have a Formplus account, you can create one on the website via the signup page.

• After signing into your Formplus account, click on the “Get Started ” button to access a tutorial on the form builder.

• The next step is to create a title and use the add form fields, on the left-hand bar that has all the field options. Drag and drop anyone that suits your preference, edit each field to include the questions and options you want, and save the file.

• The next step is to set up all your preferred integrations.

• In the builder’s customization section, you can use various tools to edit the look and feel of your form, in terms of design, theme, font style/size, custom background images, and include your company logo.

• Here, you can personalize your forms further by adding an intro and closing page and also add new pages to capture or share more information. You can decide on other options like storage, privacy, and much more.

• Choose from any of the options available for sharing your survey, from socials to links, QR codes, email, social media, etc, You can now customize your link or use the default link provided.

• View the responses from your respondents and details of who your participants are. Afterward, you click on the analytics button to get your report.

• The final step is to test your form to see how they look before you launch.

Tourist surveys are an effective way of getting insights from visitors and would-be visitors to your location or business on their preferences, dislikes, and any other information you require.

This data can be used to hone your business to fit the need of your target audience.

Connect to Formplus, Get Started Now - It's Free!

• survey research
• survey research method
• tourist surveys
• Angela Kayode-Sanni

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, tourist experience expectations: questionnaire development and text narrative analysis.

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

ISSN : 1750-6182

Article publication date: 22 March 2013

The purpose of this paper is to develop a questionnaire on tourist experience expectations, and to conduct a qualitative study to analyze the factors and related texts of the questionnaire.

Design/methodology/approach

A content analysis on travel diaries written by museum tourists was conducted to develop a questionnaire of tourist experience expectations (TEE). The survey results were analyzed by factor analysis.

The tourism experience expectations include five factors: experience expectations of easiness and fun; cultural entertainment; personal identification; historical reminiscences; and escapism. In addition to these factors, this study reorganized the travel diaries to extract representative texts for narrative analysis, in order to develop the situational factors of tourist experiences.

Research limitations/implications

This study only investigated museum tourists in Taiwan, and thus the scope for wider application of the results is limited.

Practical implications

The study findings revealed that during a trip, appropriate situational factors – including satisfying tourists' curiosity and intimate locations or events that trigger tourists' active participation – resulted in pleasant experiences for the tourists and could possibly lead to future experience expectations.

Originality/value

The paper explores museum tourists' experience expectations in Taiwan.

• Tourism management
• Tourism research
• Tourist experience expectation
• Museum tourists
• Content analysis
• Narrative analysis

Sheng, C. and Chen, M. (2013), "Tourist experience expectations: questionnaire development and text narrative analysis", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research , Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181311301390

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Tourist experience expectations: questionnaire development and text narrative analysis

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Airline Service Evaluation Survey Template

Airline Service Evaluation Survey Template offers questions to evaluate all aspects of air travel service. In order to improve the flying experience, most airlines prefer taking inputs for questionnaires. This sample contains a list of comprehensive questions that can help in gathering feedback about scope of improvement in terms of time management, food quality or customer service.

Travel Survey Template

Travel Survey Questions template analyzes the purpose of the trip, service problem identification, and overall satisfaction of a travel industry customer. This sample questionnaire has a thorough list of questions that can provide travel organization insights on how to improve the respondent's travel experience. A couple of examples from this questionnaire are "What is the purpose of your travel?", "Describe the nature of your trip," etc. According to the recent study by the Social Toaster, by 2022, it's estimated that total travel gross bookings will hit $440 billion.

Travel Tour Evaluation Survey Template

Travel Tour Evaluation Survey Template offers questions the evaluate the entire tour experience and willingness to recommend. Survey creators can edit the questionnaire sample according to the exact purpose of the survey. For example, asking the customers to provide feedback about the food arrangements during the tour can help the travel company to serve their future customers better.

Airline Flight Survey Template

Airline flight survey template offers questions for aircraft evaluation, flight selection, amenities, and in-flight service. This sample questionnaire can be used to let passengers share their flight experience so that the airlines can gather actionable intelligence. For example, asking the customers to provide feedback on the in-flight arrangements can help the airline serve their future customers better. Use this free airline flight survey template as it is or customize it to suit your needs.

A Travel survey plays a vital role in understanding the intricate dynamics of human mobility and shaping the future of transportation. As metropolitan areas grow and populations expand, gathering accurate and comprehensive data on trip behavior, costs, patterns, and preferences becomes increasingly essential. By delving into the intricacies of how individuals and communities navigate their daily trips, travel surveys provide valuable insights that inform urban planners, airlines and other transportation authorities.

Through a travel survey, researchers gain a deeper understanding of transportation needs,daily travel, travel rewards, travel trends, household visit, consumer characteristics, travelers' intended underserved areas, and travel patterns that shape the urban landscape. With this knowledge, they can design and implement effective strategies to improve infrastructure, enhance public transit systems, optimize traffic flow, and create more sustainable.

What is a Travel Survey?

A travel survey is a method conducted to collect data and information about people's travel behavior, patterns, preferences, and characteristics. A travel survey aims to understand how individuals or groups travel from one place to another, their transportation modes, the reasons for their trips, and various factors that influence their travel decisions.

Travel surveys are typically conducted by government agencies, transportation planners, urban researchers, or market research firms to gather comprehensive and accurate data on travel patterns within a specific region, city, or population. The collected information is crucial for developing transportation infrastructure, improving public transit systems, assessing the impact of policies, and making informed decisions conducted to urban planning and transportation management.

Complete Survey Methodology of travel survey

The methodology employed in conducting travel surveys is crucial for capturing accurate and comprehensive data on travel behaviors, patterns, expenses, and preferences of all metropolitan areas. Researchers can gather valuable insights into how individuals and communities move and make transportation choices by employing a systematic afford.

Define Objectives:

Clearly articulate the goals and objectives of the travel survey. Determine the specific information needed, such as travel behavior, mode choice, trip purposes, travelers expenses and demographics, to guide the survey design and sample data collection process.

Sampling Strategy:

Determine the target population for the survey, whether it's a specific geographic region, a particular demographic group, or a combination of both. Choose an appropriate sampling method, such as random, stratified, or quota, to ensure a representative sample that reflects the characteristics of the population of interest like vacation trips, household intend, budget, daily travel, favorite hotel, etc.

Survey Design:

Develop a structured questionnaire that collects relevant detailed information while being user-friendly and easy to understand. Consider using a combination of closed-ended questions (multiple choice, Likert scale) and open-ended questions to capture quantitative and qualitative data.

Online Data Collection Methods:

Utilize web-based platforms or mobile applications to collect travel data. Design an online trip survey that can be easily conducted by respondents, allowing them to visit and provide information at their convenience.

Data Validation and Quality Control:

Implement measures to ensure data accuracy and reliability. Conduct data validation checks during the survey process, such as logical consistency checks and skip patterns, to minimize errors.

Data Analysis:

Clean and process the collected data for analysis. Use statistical software to analyze quantitative data, such as calculating frequencies, averages, and correlations. Employ qualitative techniques like content analysis to extract meaningful insights from open-ended responses.

Report and Dissemination:

Summarize the collected data of the travel surveys in a comprehensive report. Present the results clearly and concisely, using tables, charts, and visualizations to enhance the understanding majority.

By following these travel survey methodologies, travel surveys can generate reliable data that provide valuable insights into travel behavior, aiding in developing effective transportation policies and infrastructure improvements.

Examples of Travel Surveys Template

QuestionPro is the leader in travel surveys. These travel survey template questionnaires are created with extensive direction by travel industry experts, making them highly optimized and geared towards delivering best quality survey responses. The templates include airline service evaluation, travel tour, flight survey and a general travel survey template.

You can also use these templates as examples or samples. Alternatively, just pick any template of your choice, make your edits if needed and send it directly out to your audience or consumers. Get started!

Importance of Travel Survey Templates

Travel survey templates play a crucial role in efficiently and effectively implementing travel surveys. Here are some reasons why travel survey templates are important:

Standardization: Templates provide a standardized structure and format with additional samples to obtain information from travel surveys. They ensure consistency in the questions, response options, and overall design.

Time and Cost Efficiency: Using pre-designed templates saves time, money, and resources in survey development. Templates provide a ready-to-use framework, eliminating the need to start from scratch for each survey.

Time and Cost Efficiency: Travel survey templates are often developed based on conducted survey methodologies and best practices. They incorporate validated question formats and survey techniques, ensuring reliable and valid data collection.

Flexibility and Customization: While templates provide a standardized framework, they also offer flexibility for customization. Researchers can modify and adapt the template to suit their site objectives and target population.

Consistency and Comparability: Researchers can achieve consistency and comparability in data collection by using the same or similar survey templates across different studies or over time. Consistent survey instruments allow tracking changes in travel behavior, mode choice, and other variables over time.

Accessibility and Collaboration: Researchers, organizations, and agencies involved in transportation planning and site can easily share and access travel survey templates. They facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the field, enabling the replication and validation of survey findings.

Travel survey templates provide a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners engaged in travel behavior studies, ensuring reliable and comparable data collection across different surveys and research initiatives.

By Using QuestionPro Template, a travel survey evolves to incorporate digital platforms and mobile applications, enabling data collection and broader participation. It further enhances the accuracy and scalability of travel surveys, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of travel behaviors and characteristics in an increasingly connected world.

A travel survey is essential for understanding travel patterns, informing policy decisions, and shaping transportation systems. By capturing individuals' and communities' diverse needs and preferences, travel surveys contribute to creating sustainable, inclusive, and efficient mobility solutions that enhance the quality of life for all.

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Stimulating Tourist Inspiration by Tourist Experience: The Moderating Role of Destination Familiarity

Jianping xue.

1 College of Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

2 School of Economics and Management, Yibin University, Yibin, China

Zhimin Zhou

Salman majeed.

3 International Center for Hospitality Research & Development, Dedman College of Hospitality, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States

Ruixia Chen

4 School of Tourism Management, Henan Finance University, Zhengzhou, China

Associated Data

All datasets generated for this study are included in the article/ Supplementary Material , further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

The tourist experience is a core indicator of destination management for the comprehensive evaluation of destination value. Tourist experience and tourist inspiration are important concepts in the stream of research on destination marketing and management. However, these relationships remained under-explored in the extant literature. This study examined the impact of tourist experience on tourist inspiration under the moderating impact of destination familiarity. To achieve the objective of this study, data were collected online from 622 Chinese tourists. We employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to statistically analyze the gathered data. Findings show that four types of tourist experiences, namely education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism, significantly and positively influenced the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration, which further influenced the inspired-to-state of tourist inspiration. Destination familiarity exerted a significantly negative moderating impact on the relationship between education experience and inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Sensitivity analysis presents that education experience was the strongest predictor of the inspired-by state followed by aesthetics, escapism, and entertainment facets of the tourist experience. Findings contribute to the theory and practice of tourism management with a robust interpretation of tourist experience, tourist inspiration, and destination familiarity to solidify the effective management of tourist destinations. Limitations and future research directions are noted.

Introduction

Shopping and consumption at a tourist destination is an important tourist behavior, which fuels destination revenue and revitalizes local economies, especially in the context of declining tourist inflow during destination crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic ( Rasoolimanesh et al., 2021 ). Tourist behavior, such as purchase and consumption of destination products and services, is often sudden, temporary, unplanned, and is inspired by destination situation and tourist experience during tourist visit to a destination ( Woodside and King, 2001 ). For example, at the Lantern Festival in China, tourists in Zigong, a city in Sichuan Province of China, get inspired by Zigong’s special cultural lanterns, and make unplanned and sudden purchase decisions about Zigong’s specialty lanterns. Inspiration is a motivational state that promotes the transition from consumption ideas to consumption behavior ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). The inspiration theory advocates that an individual may get inspired by new things to generate novel ideas, and the transcendence of these ideas may promote an individual’s intrinsic motivation to realize new ideas ( Thrash and Elliot, 2003 ).

Tourist inspiration is defined as a motivational state that drives tourists to realize consumption-related new ideas ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). Inspiration includes three core characteristics, i.e., evocation, transcendence, and approach motivation, and two states, i.e., an inspired-by state and an inspired-to state ( Thrash and Elliot, 2004 ). Evocation means that external stimuli provoke inspiration, which is a spontaneous process rather than self-awakening ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). Transcendence means that an individual discovers new and better possibilities, which have never been discovered in the past ( Winterich et al., 2019 ), with a feeling of positivity, clarity, and self-enhancement ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). Finally, approach motivation refers to an individual’s inner drive to turn new ideas into actions ( Dai et al., 2022 ). The inspired-by state of tourist inspiration is an epistemic activation component ( Böttger et al., 2017 ) that demonstrates how external stimuli, such as destination environment, activities, and marketing efforts, induce consumption-related ideas into tourist cognitive filters and generate tourist awareness about new and better consumption possibilities ( Winterich et al., 2019 ). The inspired-to state is an intention component ( Böttger et al., 2017 ) that demonstrates how a tourist derives an intrinsic motivation to actualize consumption-related ideas. Tourist inspiration drives consumption-related ideas into tourist consumption behavior, which may provide a potential shortcut to characterize tourist purchase decisions ( Dai et al., 2022 ). Scholars document that the inspired-by-state significantly and positively affects the inspired-to state ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Izogo et al., 2020 ). Tourist inspiration occurs when the inspired-by state and the inspired-to-state exist in a causal and sequential manner ( Thrash et al., 2014 ). Previous studies on the tourist decision-making process mainly focused on pre-travel tourist destination choice decisions and ignored tourist consumption and purchase decisions during a tourist visit to the destination ( Dai et al., 2022 ). Research on tourist inspiration and associated consumption-related decision-making process during tourist visit to a destination remained mixed and fragmented in the extant literature, which demands research attention for conclusive evidence.

Tourists are consumers of destination products and services; however, tourist purchase decision might be different from ordinary consumer purchase decision. As a classic theory of the consumer decision process, the Engel-Kollat-Blackwell (EKB) model assumes that consumer decision-making is a completely rational process ( McCabe et al., 2016 ) that passes through five stages, i.e., need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase choice, and post-purchase ( Darley et al., 2010 ). Given the facts of information overload or information insufficiency, cognitive limitations, and personal energy/time/cost constraints, tourists are not fully rational to find and evaluate available potential alternatives ( Wattanacharoensil and La-ornual, 2019 ). Tourist consumption behavior reflects the pursuit of pleasure rather than utility maximization ( Dai et al., 2022 ). The five stages of the EKB model sometimes do not fully correspond to tourist purchase decision-making process. It is because the EKB model’s decision-making stages may be simplified or even omitted by tourists during the information search and evaluation of alternatives during the consumption-related decision-making process. Thus, the EKB model may fail sometimes in explaining tourist consumption-related decision-making processes during tourist visit to destinations. Dual-system theories propose that there are two distinct and complementary decision-making systems. System 1 relies on emotions to make decisions, which is an intuitive response, with rapid, heuristic, and affect-driven characteristics. System 2 relies on cognition to make decisions, which is a process of deliberate considerations, with slow, rational, analytic, and reflective characteristics ( Kahneman, 2011 ). Ordinary consumers who make purchase decisions following the decision-making steps of the EKB model are more likely to rely on System 2 of the dual-system theories, while tourists who make purchase decisions following tourist inspiration are more likely to rely on System 1 of the dual-system theories. Tourists get inspired by discoveries or new experiences obtained from the destination environment, activities, and marketing efforts, which prompt tourists to get new consumption-related ideas ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). A unique and novel travel-related experience gleaned from tourist interaction with a destination stimulates tourist imagination and fuels tourist inspiration. Since tourist inspiration promotes the transition of new consumption-related ideas to consumption behavior ( Böttger et al., 2017 ), it is important to explore the factors that trigger tourist inspiration, which remained under-explored in the previous studies ( Khoi et al., 2019 ; He et al., 2021 ). A profound understanding of tourist inspiration may bridge the gap where the EKB theory may not fully explain tourist’s consumption-related decision-making processes during visits to tourist destination.

The tourist experience is defined as an interaction between a tourist and a destination ( Stamboulis and Skayannis, 2003 ). An individual’s experience of destination events may be unique and completely different from that of others ( Pine and Gilmore, 1998 ; Stamboulis and Skayannis, 2003 ). Scholars document the notion of the tourist experience in terms of education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism realms of the tourist experience ( Oh et al., 2007 ). The experience economy creates memorable events for individuals ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ). From the perspective of the experience economy, the notion of tourist experience has been examined by scholars across different fields ( Larsen, 2007 ; Ritchie and Hudson, 2009 ; Volo, 2009 ). Existing research in the stream of tourism attempted to explore the outcomes of tourist experience, such as tourist wellbeing ( Hwang and Lee, 2019 ), pleasant arousal ( Loureiro, 2014 ), and tourist inspiration ( He et al., 2021 ). A study on wellness tourism experience explored the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration and found that education, esthetics, and escapism facets of tourist experience significantly impact tourist inspiration except for entertainment experience ( He et al., 2021 ). Different tourism-related studies emphasize the dimensions of tourist experience differently and report mixed findings in a specific context that limit the generalizability of the findings of the studies. For example, Luo et al. (2018) focused on escaping and education dimensions of the tourist experience in the context of wellness tourism and Choi and Choi (2018) examined the entertainment and escaping dimensions of the tourist experience in the context of mass tourism. He et al. (2021) focused on tourist experience and measured tourist inspiration in the context of wellness tourism. Nevertheless, there is a need to investigate the impact of tourist experience on tourist consumption-related inspiration in the broader context of tourism, such as conventional tourism. This study examines the relationship between tourist experience and tourist consumption-related inspiration in a conventional context of tourism, which is broad, to expand the generalizability of the conceptual understanding of the tourist experience and tourist inspiration. Moreover, this study explores how education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of the tourist experience affect tourist inspiration, i.e., the inspired-by-state that ultimately affects the inspired-to-state of tourist inspiration.

Destination familiarity means tourists’ subjective assessment of their existing knowledge and information alongside learning new knowledge and skills during visits to tourist destinations ( Hernández Maestro et al., 2007 ). Some tourists prefer to choose unfamiliar destinations to obtain a novel travel experience ( Chark et al., 2020 ), which increases the probability of tourist inspiration, while some tourists get inspired by familiar destinations to obtain a stable travel experience with intentions to reduce travel-related uncertainties, which reduces the probability of tourist inspiration ( Kim et al., 2019 ). From this, it is discerned that destination familiarity exerts its impact on the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration. Existing studies show that tourists who are familiar with a destination exhibit positive attitude and behavioral intentions, such as intention to visit tourist destination ( Chaulagain et al., 2019 ; Shi et al., 2022 ), satisfaction ( Sanz-Blas et al., 2019 ), and destination evaluation ( Chen et al., 2017 ; Kim et al., 2019 ). Scholars believe that destination familiarity may increase tourist confidence in choosing a destination in parallel to triggering tourist decision-making process to choose familiar destinations ( Milman and Pizam, 1995 ). Tourists’ prior knowledge or destination familiarity may increase tourists’ sense of safety and reduce tourists’ perceptions of perceived risk during visits to destinations ( Karl, 2016 ).

An individual’s familiarity affects his/her information search behavior ( Gursoy, 2019 ). While taking decisions to visit a tourist destination and consume destination products and services, tourists who are familiar with destinations reduce their search for external information regarding tourist destination because such familiar tourists hold sufficient destination information ( Gursoy and McCleary, 2004a ). On the other hand, unfamiliar tourists lack sufficient destination-related information and, thus, increase their search for external information regarding tourist destinations to reduce the levels of uncertainty and perceived risk during travel to tourist destinations ( Carneiro and Crompton, 2009 ; Karl, 2016 ). The inspiration theory maintains that inspiration is triggered by external stimuli rather than internal self-awakening ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). External stimuli may likely trigger more tourist inspiration in low-familiar tourists as compared to high-familiar tourists ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Winterich et al., 2019 ). From the perspective of tourist consumption-related decision-making, tourists who are familiar with a destination are more likely to make decisions based on the system 2 approach of the dual-system theories, which is similar to the theoretical premises of the EKB model. It is because high-familiar tourists might have sufficient destination information for a rational decision to visit a tourist destination ( McCabe et al., 2016 ). However, low-familiar tourists are more likely to make decisions based on the system 1 approach of the dual-system theories, which is similar to tourist consumption-related inspiration. It is because tourists might lack sufficient destination information and rely on their intuition and cognitive reactions to external stimuli for consumption-related destination decision-making ( McCabe et al., 2016 ). However, studies that demonstrate the role of tourist destination familiarity in tourist decision-making to visit tourist destinations remained succinct. Drawing on the above and to bridge the identified research gap, this study also examines how destination familiarity exerts its moderating impact on the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration.

This study aims to examine the following: (1) How does tourist inspired-by state impact tourist inspired-to state? (2) How does tourist experience impact tourist inspiration, i.e., tourist inspired-by state? (3) How does tourist destination familiarity exert its moderating impact on the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration, i.e., tourist inspired-by state? Findings unravel the psychological mechanism of tourist purchase motivation from the perspective of tourist inspiration. This study fills theoretical gaps with a proposed conceptual framework and offers guidelines to destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in solidifying destination management and promotion efforts to skyrocket sales revenue of tourist destination. This study provides roadmaps for scholars and practitioners to conduct future research on destination marketing and management.

Literature Review

Tourist inspiration: inspired-by state and inspired-to state.

Customer inspiration is defined as a state of temporary motivation evoked by corporate marketing efforts, promoting the generation of new ideas related to consumption, and driving consumers to take action on new ideas ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). As an important concept of the inspiration theory in marketing, customer inspiration includes inspired-by and inspired-to states in its breadth and depth and focuses on the generation of new ideas inspired by corporate marketing efforts and customer consumption behavior ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). Tourist inspiration and its cognitive importance in tourist decision-making have gained the widespread attention of scholars and practitioners from different fields ( Khoi et al., 2019 ; Khoi et al., 2021 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). Dai et al. (2022) note the importance of travel inspiration at the tourist dreaming stage and refer travel inspiration as a motivational state that may influence tourist behavior, such as tourist destination choice. Gollwitzer (1990) proposed the mindset theory of action phases and divided the consumer decision-making process into two phases i.e., a pre-decision phase of deliberation and a post-decision phase of implementation, embodying a sequential relationship. Böttger et al. (2017) argue that the inspired-by state belongs to the deliberation phase, while the inspired-to-state reflects the transition to the implementation phase. In the stream of tourist inspiration, there is a causal and sequential relationship between the inspired-by state and the inspired-to state where the inspired-by-state exists before the inspired-to state ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Cao et al., 2021 ; Dai et al., 2022 ).

External stimuli, such as destination environment, destination events, and discovery of new possibilities in a tourist destination, may trigger tourist inspired-by-state in tandem with generating new ideas regarding tourist consumption with self-transcendence ( Khoi et al., 2019 ). According to the theory of self-determination, the attractiveness of new ideas regarding tourist consumption drives tourist self-realization and fuels tourist unplanned purchases ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ), which is sketched as the inspired-to state of tourist inspiration on the canvas of this study. For example, when a tourist is inspired by a product with destination characteristics, the idea of purchasing such a product and giving the same to a friend as a gift may emerge naturally ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). The appropriateness of the product as a gift becomes an internal driving force that generates tourist purchase intention, which is an inspired-to state of tourist inspiration ( Thrash and Elliot, 2004 ). Some scholars argue that inspired-by state may also be a precursor to inspired-to state ( Hinsch et al., 2020 ; Izogo et al., 2020 ; Izogo and Mpinganjira, 2020 ). For example, in a cross-cultural study, Izogo et al. (2020) found that inspired-by state significantly and positively affects the inspired-to state. Similar findings were found in research on augmented reality ( Hinsch et al., 2020 ) and social media content ( Izogo and Mpinganjira, 2020 ). However, most studies advocate the causal and sequential impact of inspired-by state on inspired-to state ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). Thus, there is a need to testify the impact of inspired-by state on inspired-to state for conclusive evidence. Drawing on most studies reflecting the impact of inspired-by state on inspired-to state, we propose the following hypothesis.

• Hypothesis H1 : Tourist inspired-by state exerts a significantly positive impact on the inspired-to state of tourist inspiration.

Tourist Experience

The tourist experience is the application of the experience economy in a tourism context. The concept of the experience economy is widely accepted by tourism scholars and practitioners. According to the two dimensions of customer connections, namely absorption and immersion, and the level of customer participation, namely passive and active participation, four experience realms of tourist experience are identified in the extant literature for business promotion, i.e., education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ). A unique tourist experience stems from an interaction between destination event and tourist cognitive reaction ( Pine and Gilmore, 1998 ) that may stimulate tourist psychological arousal ( Hosany and Witham, 2010 ) alongside provoking tourist inspiration ( Khoi et al., 2019 ). Tourist experience influences tourist psychological arousal, which is the first step toward tourist inspiration ( Loureiro, 2014 ).

Education Experience

Education experience may impact tourist inspiration ( Whiting and Hannam, 2014 ). Tourists attempt to find new ways to gain new knowledge about tourist destinations to improve consumption-related decision-making ( Oh et al., 2007 ). Education experience has two characteristics, i.e., active participation and absorption ( Pine and Gilmore, 1998 ). From the perspective of tourism, education experience allows tourists to acquire new knowledge and skills to identify new and better possibilities, stimulates tourist imagination, and generates new ideas relevant to tourist consumption of destination products and services ( Winterich et al., 2019 ). Since tourist inspired-by state is an epistemic activation process, which reflects evocation and transcendence of tourist inspiration ( Böttger et al., 2017 ), tourists learn new knowledge and skills as a part of educational experience during visits to a tourist destination that may inspire tourists, trigger tourist novel consumption-related ideas, and grab tourist attention, which reflects the evocation characteristics of tourist inspiration ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). The discovery of new and better possibilities during visits to a tourist destination allows tourists to realize the quality of new ideas and gain a sense of self-transcendence, which reflects the transcendence characteristics of tourist inspiration ( Thrash and Elliot, 2003 ). Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis.

• Hypothesis H2 : Education experience exerts a significantly positive impact on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration.

Entertainment Experience

Personal experience linked to entertainment is the most emphasized dimension of the tourist experience in destination marketing ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ). Destination performances and activities attract tourist attention and make tourists feel happy and excited about destination performances and activities ( Oh et al., 2007 ). During this process, tourists do not directly participate in destination activities, which presents that entertainment experience encapsulates the characteristics of passive participation and absorption in its breadth and depth. It is noted that entertainment experience provokes tourist positive emotions when tourists watch a destination performance ( Hwang and Lee, 2019 ). The broaden-and-build theory in the field of positive psychology argues that positive emotions broaden individuals’ cognitive scope alongside building individuals’ physical, intellectual, social, and psychological resources ( Fredrickson, 2001 ). Existing shreds of evidence demonstrate that the broaden-and-build theory has been applied to research on tourist wellbeing ( Sirgy, 2019 ), value co-creation ( Lin et al., 2017 ), and social media sharing behavior ( Chen et al., 2021 ). Tourists with positive emotions are more open-minded, flexible to adopt changes, and able to generate more creative ideas, which can promote tourist self-efficacy to overcome destination challenges ( Chen et al., 2021 ). According to the broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions instantly expand an individual’s creative thinking ( Fredrickson, 2001 ). Watching destination performances may stimulate tourists’ happy feelings, promote broader and more imaginative tourist thinking, and generate new ideas regarding tourist consumption. Destination performances and activities may activate tourists’ positive emotions to gain new consumption-related ideas, which reflect the evocation characteristic of tourist inspired-by state. New ideas and creative solutions induce a feeling of self-transcendence, which reflects the transcendence characteristic of the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration ( Thrash and Elliot, 2003 ). Thus, we also propose the following hypothesis.

• Hypothesis H3 : Entertainment experience exerts a significantly positive impact on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration.

Esthetics Experience

The esthetics experience is a process in which tourists feel and appreciate objective matters and the environment ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ). Tourists feel completely immersed in the objective environment and start perceiving and explaining esthetic meanings of destination environment from their unique perspectives, which may trigger tourist inspiration ( Khoi et al., 2019 ). Hosany and Witham (2010) document that an individual’s interpretation of the physical environment fuels an individual’s esthetic experience. Tourists are immersed in the destination environment, passively appreciate, and feel destination beauty, and do not intend to bring changes to destination environment ( Oh et al., 2007 ). This process requires an individual’s full concentration on the environment ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ). Therefore, esthetic experience mirrors the characteristics of both passive participation and immersion ( Pine and Gilmore, 1998 ). Esthetic appreciation has a strong cognitive component that requires tourists to invest energy and cognitive resources. When tourists are inspired by the beauty of objective matters or the environment of a destination, tourists discover new and better possibilities in generating consumption-related new ideas ( Khoi et al., 2019 ). Drawing on the above, we propose the following hypothesis.

• Hypothesis H4 : Esthetics experience exerts a significantly positive impact on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration.

Escapism Experience

Escaping reality is an important motivation for tourists ( Kozak, 2002 ). Tourists temporarily escape the unsatisfactory aspects of daily life and seek places to tour and participate in activities arranged at tourist destinations ( Oh et al., 2007 ). Therefore, escapism has the characteristics of both active participation and immersion ( Pine and Gilmore, 1998 ). To escape reality, tourists expect to travel to specific tourist destinations and participate in destination activities to distance themselves from daily life matters for rest, relaxation, and a feeling of stress alleviation. Traveling to tourist destinations allows tourists to feel that they are in a different time and space and this feeling helps tourists to enjoy a new lifestyle with new and better possibilities of life activities in tourist destinations alongside inspiring tourists with new consumption-related ideas ( Pine and Gilmore, 1999 ). Based on the above, we propose the following hypothesis.

• Hypothesis H5 : The escapism experience exerts a significantly positive impact on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration.

The Moderating Role of Destination Familiarity

As an important construct in the field of marketing, familiarity with a product or brand refers to consumer experience and knowledge about a product or brand that may influence consumer decision-making regarding a product or brand ( Alba and Hutchinson, 1987 ). Previous studies present that consumer positive decision-making and resultant favorable behavior are linked to consumer familiarity with brand products or services, such as first-time and repeat purchases ( Tam, 2008 ; Paasovaara et al., 2012 ), as compared to consumer unfamiliarity with brand products or services. Destination familiarity is defined as an individual’s subjective assessment of destination information and knowledge ( Hernández Maestro et al., 2007 ). Tourists’ behavioral intentions are influenced by tourists’ subjective familiarity assessment of destination attributes ( Rao and Sieben, 1992 ; Park et al., 1994 ). When tourists feel that they are familiar with a tourist destination, they are more confident in their decision-making to visit tourist destinations ( Milman and Pizam, 1995 ).

Existing studies show that destination familiarity has an important impact on tourist information search behavior ( Gursoy, 2019 ). Tourists first conduct an internal search to obtain desired information from their memory and experience ( Coupey et al., 1998 ). Tourists who extract desired information from their memory attempt to make informed decisions and do not engage in additional information search from external sources ( Brucks, 1985 ). Tourists who do not find the desired information from their memory and experience search for information from external sources for rational travel-related decision-making ( Gursoy and McCleary, 2004b ). Evocation as a salient feature of tourist inspiration means that tourist inspiration is spontaneously evoked by an external stimulus ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Dai et al., 2022 ). Tourist inspiration is more likely to be triggered in low-familiar tourists as compared to in high-familiar tourists, because information obtained from outside may help tourists learn new knowledge, make discoveries, and gain new insights, which stimulate tourist imagination ( Winterich et al., 2019 ). High-familiar tourists extract information from their memory and experience for decision-making, which may not fully trigger tourist inspiration due to the lack of external new things ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). Tourists who are familiar with destinations show the favorable evaluation of destination attributes and develop positive behavioral intentions as compared to unfamiliar destinations ( Chaulagain et al., 2019 ; Sanz-Blas et al., 2019 ; Shi et al., 2022 ). Previous studies note that destination familiarity moderates the relationship between brand equity and tourist revisit intention ( Shi et al., 2022 ), the relationship between logotype and tourist attitude toward a destination ( Roy and Attri, 2022 ), and the relationship between perceived quality and tourist visit intention ( Chi et al., 2020 ). As tourist familiarity with a destination will increase, novel experiences and discoveries from external stimulation will decrease, which will reduce tourist inspiration. Therefore, we also propose the following hypotheses.

• Hypothesis H6 : Destination familiarity exerts a significant moderating impact on the relationship between education experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration such that the relationship is weak when destination familiarity is high.
• Hypothesis H7 : Destination familiarity exerts a significant moderating impact on the relationship between entertainment experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration such that the relationship is weak when destination familiarity is high.
• Hypothesis H8 : Destination familiarity exerts a significant moderating impact on the relationship between esthetics experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration such that the relationship is weak when destination familiarity is high.
• Hypothesis H9 : Destination familiarity exerts a significant moderating impact on the relationship between escapism experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration such that the relationship is weak when destination familiarity is high.

The proposed theoretical associations among the constructs of this study are presented in Figure 1 .

Conceptual model.

Methodology

Questionnaire design.

A survey questionnaire was designed to gather data from Chinese respondents having tourist experience. Screening questions were made a part of the survey questionnaire: (1) What type of destination was your last trip? (2) What is the name of your recently visited tourist destination? (3) How recent is your tourist experience? To measure the proposed constructs in this study, scale items were adapted from the previous studies. Scale items for education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience were adapted from Oh et al. (2007) , scale items for tourist inspiration (including the inspired-by state and the inspired-to state) were adapted from Böttger et al. (2017) , and scale items for destination familiarity were adapted from Gursoy and McCleary (2004a) . All scale items were measured using a seven-point Likert scale, which ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) (see Appendix 1). Scholars document that the seven-point Likert scale is well-suited to conduct online surveys ( Chaulagain et al., 2019 ). The survey questionnaire was originally developed in English. Three native Chinese doctoral students, who were proficient in English and had academic and industry experience in tourism marketing, were invited to translate the English version of the questionnaire into Chinese. By following the work of Majeed et al. (2020a) , we used the blind-translation back-translation method to translate the English version of the questionnaire into the Chinese language. Two bilingual professors, who were unfamiliar with the field were invited to convert the translated Chinese version of the survey questionnaire into English. The quality of the English and Chinese versions of the survey questionnaires were compared for clarity and similar intended meanings of the questions and minor adjustments were made to the content and composition of the survey questionnaire before the full launch of the survey ( Chen et al., 2020 ).

Data Collection

This study conducted an online survey at Wenjuan Xing 1 , a professional online academic survey platform in China, between November 5, 2019 and November 10, 2019, to gather data from Chinese tourists who were at least 18 years old to ensure the consent requirement of the study respondents ( Majeed et al., 2020b ; Xue et al., 2020 ). Wenjuan Xing undertakes a random sampling method to administer surveys and records responses from its more than three million registered users, who demonstrate diverse backgrounds and belong to different cities in China ( Cao et al., 2021 ). Wenjuan Xing adopts a multichannel approach to distribute questionnaires to randomly invited users to reflect a greater representation of the relevant study population for the survey ( Cao et al., 2021 ). The participants in the online survey were Chinese adult tourists who had traveled to tourist destinations. A total of 626 responses were received during the data collection process. After removing responses carrying missing values and respondent age as less than 18 years, a total of 622 were retained for the final analysis.

Study Respondents’ Demographic Details

The number of male and female respondents in this study was relatively balanced, accounting for 45.7 and 54.3%, respectively (see Table 1 ). Most respondents were under the age of 40 years (80.38%), corporate staff (66.1%), and were married (67.2%). Table 1 shows that approximately 67.4% of the study respondents mentioned their education level as undergraduate. Approximately 63.5% of the study respondents mentioned 2–3 trips per year, 62.8% of respondents traveled for the first time, 50.6% of respondents liked to travel with family, and 31.5% respondents liked to travel with friends. Approximately 94.1% of respondents traveled to domestic tourist destinations. Destinations related to natural and heritage landscapes were favored by most of the study respondents, i.e., 47.7 and 42.1%, respectively. Approximately 74.8% of the study respondents visited tourist destinations within the previous 3 months from the date of the survey.

Demographic and destination characteristics.

Data Analysis Strategy

The four realms of tourist experience and the two states of tourist inspiration are lower-order latent variables in this study. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the proposed relationships among tourist experience, tourist inspiration, and destination familiarity. PLS-SEM is preferred to the co-variance-based approach because PLS-SEM is one of the most used methods in analyzing the structural relationships of latent variables ( Chin and Newsted, 1999 ) and moderating roles ( Wong, 2016 ; Nitzl and Chin, 2017 ). Smart PLS 3.2.7 was used for data analysis in this study.

Measurement Model Results

Table 2 presents the items and reliability evaluation results of the constructs of the study. Except for three items in the range from 0.667 to 0.697, which is above the minimum acceptable value of 0.50 recommended for factor loadings ( Hair et al., 2010 ), all factor loadings were above 0.70 and were considered acceptable ( Chin, 1998 ). The Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability values of all constructs were above the recommended threshold of 0.70 ( Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994 ), indicating good internal reliability of the study constructs.

Measurement model results.

AVE, average variance extracted; CR, composite reliability; α, Cronbach’s alpha.

a Reverse coded.

The convergent validity and discriminant validity of each construct were evaluated. The average variance extracted (AVE) of all constructs ranged from 0.582 to 0.772 (see Table 2 ), which is above the recommended threshold of 0.50, indicating that all constructs of the model have good convergent validity ( Fornell and Larcker, 1981 ). The Fornell-Larcker criterion and the heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) ratio were calculated to evaluate the discriminant validity of the constructs ( Henseler et al., 2015 ; Hair et al., 2021 ). Table 3 shows that the square root of the AVE of each construct was found greater than the correlation coefficient of other constructs, indicating that all constructs have good discriminant validity and met the Fornell-Larcker criterion. The maximum value of the HTMT ratio ( Table 4 ) was found as 0.857, which is less than the recommended threshold of 0.90 ( Henseler et al., 2015 ; Rasoolimanesh et al., 2021 ), indicating that all constructs had acceptable discriminant validity.

Fornell-Larcker criterion.

Bold diagonal values represent the square root of AVEs.

Heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) ratio.

Structural Model Results

Before the bootstrapping procedure, destination familiarity was set as a moderator, inspired-by state as a dependent variable, and education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience as independent variables to generate four moderating impacts. Since destination familiarity is a reflective-reflective construct in this study, a product indicator calculation method was selected while generating the moderating impact on the relationship between dimensions of tourist experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. To exclude the influence of other factors, demographic and destination variables mentioned in Table 1 were operationalized in the model as control variables. Complete bootstrapping with 5,000 sub-samples was performed to examine the hypothesized relationships presented in the conceptual model. Findings ( Table 5 ) show that R 2 values of the dependent variables are over 0.1 and Q 2 values are over 0, presenting the predictive ability and predictive relevance of the structural model ( Falk and Miller, 1992 ). To solidify the investigation of the goodness of fit and the significance of hypothesized relationships in the model, path coefficients were examined. Findings ( Table 5 ) show that inspired-by state has significantly positive impact on inspired-to state (β = 0.431, t = 10.456, p < 0.001). Thus, hypothesis H1 is supported. Findings for education experience (β = 0.373, t = 9.606, p < 0.001), entertainment experience (β = 0.184, t = 4.685, p < 0.001), esthetics experience (β = 0.218, t = 5.612, p < 0.001), and escapism experience (β = 0.231, t = 7.122, p < 0.001) show that education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience exert significantly positive impact on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Therefore, hypotheses H2, H3, H4, and H5 are supported. Findings show that destination familiarity has a significantly negative impact on the relationship between education experience and inspired-by state of tourist inspiration (β = −0.109, t = 3.095, p < 0.05), indicating that when tourist destination familiarity is high, the relationship between education experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration is weak. This supports hypothesis H6. However, findings show that destination familiarity has no moderating impact on the relationship between entertainment experience and inspired-by state (β = 0.002, t = 0.051, p > 0.05), between esthetics experience and inspired-by state (β = 0.049, t = 1.523, p > 0.05), and between escapism experience and inspired-by state (β = 0.042, t = 1.38, p > 0.05). Thus, hypotheses H7, H8, and H9 are not supported. The structural model of the study is presented in Figure 2 .

Path analysis.

*Destination familiarity = the moderating role of destination familiarity; *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001.

Path co-efficient model. * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001, n.s P > 0.05.

Sensitivity Analysis

The objective of sensitivity analysis is to determine how much of the change in the dependent variable is caused by the change in the relevant independent variable ( Han et al., 2021 ) and to obtain a ranking of the importance of the independent variable’s influence on the dependent variable ( Ahani et al., 2017 ; Leong et al., 2020 ). Artificial neural network (ANN) modeling is the most used method for sensitivity analysis because of its obvious advantages over traditional statistical methods ( Sharma et al., 2021 ), such as regression analysis. ANN does not require the data to follow a normal distribution and is also suitable for the analysis of non-linear relationship variables ( Tan et al., 2014 ; Leong et al., 2020 ). An ANN model usually consists of three layers, namely the input layer, the hidden layer, and the output layer, and each layer is connected by an activation function ( Sharma et al., 2021 ). In terms of activation function, the sigmoid function is generally considered by researchers due to its advantages of squeezing the original data ( Chiang et al., 2006 ). The IBM’s SPSS 21 neural network module and its multilayer perceptron were employed to perform ANN analysis and a feed-forward-backward-propagation (FFBP) algorithm for training and testing data in this study ( Taneja and Arora, 2019 ). In line with Leong et al. (2020) , 90% of data was used for training, while the remaining 10% of data was used for testing where sigmoid is the activation function for the hidden and output layers ( Sharma and Sharma, 2019 ). Referring to the method of Sharma et al. (2021) , a 10-fold cross-validating procedure was used to avoid the overfitting problem in ANN analysis. The root mean square error (RMSE) is widely used by scholars to validate the results of the ANN analysis ( Chong, 2013 ; Liébana-Cabanillas et al., 2017 ), and, hence, followed for ANN analysis in this study.

To analyze the importance of education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience and their associated impact on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration, we constructed one ANN model. In the ANN model, the four dimensions of tourist experience, i.e., education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism, are in the input layer, the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration is in the output layer, and there are three hidden nodes in the hidden layer (see Figure 3 ). Table 6 shows that the average RMSE values for both training and testing processes were relatively small at 0.074, indicating an excellent model fit ( Leong et al., 2019 ; Leong et al., 2020 ). To rank the predictive power of the input neurons, a sensitivity analysis was performed. Table 7 shows the importance and normalized importance of each input neuron, i.e., education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism dimensions of the tourist experience. The value of normalized importance refers to the importance of each input neuron divided by the maximum importance and expressed as a percentage ( Leong et al., 2020 ). The results of the sensitivity analysis showed that education experience had the greatest normalized importance at 98.1%, suggesting that education experience was the most powerful predictor of the inspired-by state followed by esthetics (59.3%), escapism (46%), and entertainment (37.7%) dimensions of the tourist experience.

Artificial neural network architecture.

Root mean square error (RMSE) for artificial neural network model.

SSE, sum square of errors; N, sample size; ANN, Artificial neural network model.

Sensitivity analysis.

EDU, education; EST, esthetics; ENT, entertainment; ESC, escapism; ANN, Artificial neural network model.

Discussion and Conclusion

The findings of this study show that tourist inspired-by state significantly and positively influenced tourist inspired-to state which is in line with the previous studies demonstrating a significant and positive correlation between the inspired by state and the inspired-to state of customer inspiration ( Böttger et al., 2017 ; Hinsch et al., 2020 ; Izogo et al., 2020 ). For example, Böttger et al. (2017) found that inspirational content affects the inspired-to state through the inspired-by state in the high idea shopping condition. Hinsch et al. (2020) and Izogo et al. (2020) also confirmed the significant and positive relationship between tourist inspired-by state and tourist inspired-to state in the context of research on cross-culture and augmented reality topics that support the findings of this study. Mediation analysis (see Appendix 2) shows the significant mediating role of inspired-by state between the relationships of education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of the tourist experience and inspired-to state of tourist inspiration. Since the direct impact of inspired-by state on inspired-to state is significantly positive, the significant mediating role of tourist inspired-by state between the dimensions of the tourist experience and inspired-to state of tourist inspiration reflects partial mediation and solidifies the existance of a causal relationship between inspired-by and inspired-to states of tourist inspiration. As stated in the theory of self-determination, the transition of tourist inspiration from the inspired-by state to the inspired-to state is driven by the self-transcendence and attraction of a new consumption idea ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ), and the intrinsic motivation for autonomy and competence may be an internal driving force to implement new ideas regarding consumption ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). Tourist inspiration is an extension of general inspiration in the field of tourism, and, thus, our findings showing the relationship between the inspired-by and inspired-to states are consistent with the extant literature on inspiration ( Böttger et al., 2017 ).

The findings of this study show that the education experience positively and significantly influenced the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. A strong beta (β) value for the relationship between education experience and inspired-by state of tourist inspiration reflects a strong impact of education experience on the inspired-by state as compared to the impacts of entertainment, esthetic, and escapism dimensions of the tourist experience. These findings are consistent with the work of He et al. (2021) where the scholars validated the relationship between education experience and tourist inspiration in the context of wellness tourism. The education experience improves tourist knowledge and skills through active learning during tourist visit to tourist destination ( Oh et al., 2007 ). The acquisition of new knowledge and skills can enhance tourist cognition, broaden tourist horizons, and stimulate tourist imagination ( Rudd et al., 2018 ) to help tourists discover new possibilities and ideas regarding consumption ( Winterich et al., 2019 ). It is estimated that approximately 50% of the total inventions are inspired by new scientific knowledge ( Callaert et al., 2014 ), and creativity is closely related to the application of new knowledge ( Gurteen, 1998 ). Our findings support the works of Gurteen (1998) and Callaert et al. (2014) .

The findings of this study also show that the entertainment experience significantly and positively influenced the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Compared with the other three dimensions of tourist experience, entertainment experience has a weak relationship with the inspired-by state of tourist experience due to the smallest path coefficient. The impact of the entertainment experience on tourist inspiration is investigated in this study which remained under-explored in the previous studies. Destination performances and activities inspire tourists by provoking tourists’ positive emotions and feelings of happiness, which are the prominent features of the entertainment experience ( Oh et al., 2007 ). From the perspective of the broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions and feelings of happiness motivate tourist imagination, enhance tourist creativity, and promote tourist divergent thinking to help tourists discover new ideas regarding consumption ( Fredrickson, 2001 ).

This study demonstrates that esthetics experience significantly and positively influenced the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Compared with education experience and escape experience, the path coefficient of the influence of esthetics experience on the inspired-by state is weak. These findings are consistent with the work of He et al. (2021) . The esthetics experience reflects an individual’s cognitive response to the environment or events, which might be unique and different from others ( Pine and Gilmore, 1998 ). Tourists’ appreciation of the environmental beauty and other objective matters of tourist destination reflects tourists’ inspiration and imagination ( Böttger et al., 2017 ). The findings of this study provide robust support to the previous studies that demonstrated a strong relationship between imagination, i.e., the inspired-by state in this study, and esthetic experience ( Brady, 1998 ; Joy and Sherry, 2003 ).

This study revealed that the escapism experience significantly and positively influenced the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration, which is also consistent with the work of He et al. (2021) . However, compared with the other three dimensions of tourist experience, He et al. (2021) reported a strong path coefficient for the relationship between escapism experience and tourist inspiration, which differs from the findings of this study. The escapism experience refers to tourists’ escaping experiences from daily life and traveling to destinations to participate in specific activities ( Oh et al., 2007 ). The previous literature has confirmed that escape experiences can be very memorable, pleasurable, and inspiring for tourists ( Tom Dieck et al., 2018 ; Hwang and Lee, 2019 ). Different environments and lifestyles allow tourists to discover new possibilities and develop new ideas related to consumption with self-transcendence.

The findings of this study revealed a negative, however, weak, moderating impact of destination familiarity on the relationship between education experience and the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Nevertheless, the impact of entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience on the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration was not negatively moderated by destination familiarity and the moderating impact remained comparatively weak due to co-efficient values near zero. Destination familiarity is described as tourist cognition and tourist knowledge and experience regarding tourist destination ( Tan and Wu, 2016 ; Liu et al., 2018 ). As tourists become more familiar with destinations, fewer new possibilities are discovered, which reduces the probability of obtaining new ideas and exerts a little impact on tourist inspiration. Extant literature presents that familiarity negatively impacts imagination expansion ( Sharman et al., 2005 ), which is consistent with the findings of this study. Entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience are more related to tourist emotions and feelings and are less affected by cognition-based destination familiarity. Thus, destination familiarity exerts no moderating impact on the relationships among entertainment, esthetics, and escapism dimensions of tourist experience and tourist inspiration.

Theoretical Contribution

This study makes several important theoretical contributions to the extant literature. First, from the general perspective of tourism, this study puts forth empirical evidence to demonstrate the impact of tourist experience, i.e., education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism, on tourist inspiration, i.e., the inspired-by state, that provides a broader lens to DMOs to understand tourist cognitive responses for destination promotion, which previously remained context-specific and limited, such as wellness tourism ( He et al., 2021 ) and international travel ( Khoi et al., 2019 ). This study expands the critical understanding of the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration by clarifying the influence of entertainment experience on tourist inspiration which remained inconsistent and mixed in the previous studies on conventional tourism and wellness tourism ( He et al., 2021 ). Tourist inspiration reveals the psychological mechanism of tourist experience that promotes tourist purchase behavior. Tourist shopping or consumption behavior at a host destination is likely to be driven by tourist inspirations. Second, based on the transmission model of inspiration, which was proposed by Thrash et al. (2010) and Böttger et al. (2017) found that inspired-by state mediates the influence of marketing stimulus on inspired-to state. In the field of marketing, previous studies verified the significant impact of inspired-by state on the inspired-to state ( Hinsch et al., 2020 ; Izogo et al., 2020 ). In the field of tourism, some empirical studies explored the antecedents and consequences of tourist inspiration ( He et al., 2021 ; Khoi et al., 2021 ). However, the relationship between the inspired-by state and the inspired-to state, as the two components of tourist inspiration, remained deeply under-explored. This study explored tourist consumption inspiration and found that the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration can significantly and positively affect the inspired-to state in the context of tourism, thus, consolidating the theory of customer inspiration and extending the applicable boundaries of the general inspiration theory in the field of tourism. Third, He et al. (2021) found that education experience significantly affects tourist inspiration in the context of wellness tourism, and this relationship is positively moderated by openness to experience. Our findings show that the education experience can significantly and positively impact the inspired-by state of tourist inspiration and destination familiarity negatively moderates the relationship between education experience and the inspired-by state, which extends knowledge and understanding regarding the impact of tourist education experience on tourist inspiration for additional theoretical insights.

Managerial Implications

Destination marketing organizations can design and arrange destination performances and events to enhance tourist experience, which may motivate tourist inspiration and increase destination sales revenue. Although the discussed four dimensions of tourist experiences significantly and positively affect tourist inspiration, DMOs need to combine their advantages to strategically position tourist experience of destinations. Based on such a positioning strategy, DMOs can plan related marketing activities to highlight specific tourist experiences in tourist destination to strengthen destination brand image. For example, the southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea is in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, China, and is a 4A-level natural scenic spot in China. To highlight the educational experience and aesthetic experience, the scenic spot has built the largest bamboo professional museum in China by combining the advantages of rich bamboo resources to show tourists the long history of Chinese bamboo culture and various bamboo crafts. Visiting the museum may inspire tourists to purchase bamboo craft products to increase scenic spot sales revenue. To highlight the escape and entertainment experiences, the scenic spot plans bamboo raft water experience activities. This inspires tourists to consume bamboo raft experience projects and, ultimately, to increase scenic spot sales revenue. Thus, tourist inspiration uncovered under the empirical lens of this study provides new strategic directions for DMOs.

For destinations characterized by education experience, DMOs need to consider the differences in tourist destination familiarity between revisiting and first-time tourists and adopt different marketing strategies for different types of tourists. For revisiting tourists, DMOs can use two marketing strategies to stop declining purchase motivation caused by the negative moderating effect of destination familiarity to maintain destination sales revenue. The first strategy is that using sales promotions and designing creative marketing campaigns may improve tourist purchase motivation and tourist inspiration, respectively. The second strategy is to increase tourist novelty experience during tourist visits to destinations to trigger tourist inspiration, which weakens the negative moderating effect of destination familiarity, with the help of continuous innovation in destination performances and events.

COVID-19 pandemic may negatively impact tourist willingness to visit familiar and unfamiliar tourist destinations, resulting in a huge impact on the global tourism industry due to the sharp drop in the number of tourists ( Rasoolimanesh et al., 2021 ). The COVID-19 pandemic will likely impact tourist consumption patterns worldwide, such as the growing popularity of free and independent travel, luxury trips, and health and wellness tourism ( Majeed and Ramkisson, 2020 ). The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced people to reconsider their travel decisions for familiar and unfamiliar tourist destinations to avoid the risk of catching the COVID-19 virus during travel. From the perspective of wellness tourism experience, He et al. (2021) examined the influence of tourist experience on tourist inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conclusions drawn by He et al. (2021) are consistent with the findings of this study, providing support to the applicability of the findings of this study during the ongoing context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since our study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, a comparison between the findings of our study and of He et al. (2021) open doors for DMOs for interesting takeouts of this study during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. However, tourist destinations need to reconsider their service designs and distribution channels to match tourists’ changing cognitive reactions and behavioral intention during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Destinations can strengthen prevention and control measures at tourist attractions, such as controlling the density of tourists, increasing the requirement of negative nucleic acid tests, and frequent disinfection of the tourist attractions in densely populated areas, to reduce the perceived risk of catching the COVID-19 virus during tourist visit to tourist attractions. Improved prevention and control measures to combat the risk of catching the COVID-19 virus will increase tourist sense of security during visits to destination alongside enhancing tourist experience to trigger positive tourist inspiration.

Limitations and Future Research Directions

This study explores the relationship between the dimensions of tourist experience and tourist inspiration. However, there are some limitations of this study that open doors for future research on the topic under investigation. There are many antecedents to tourist inspiration ( Khoi et al., 2019 ; Winterich et al., 2019 ). However, the current study only explored four dimensions of tourist experience as antecedents to tourist inspiration. Future research can explore other factors that may influence tourist inspiration based on the traits of tourists and the characteristics of destinations for a profound understanding of tourist inspiration. Our study examined the moderating impact of destination familiarity on the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration and found that destination familiarity has no moderating impact on the relationship between the proposed facets of tourist experience and tourist inspiration except for the relationship between education experience and inspired-by state of tourist inspiration. Future research can extend the scope of our work to investigate the impact of other moderators, such as national culture, on the relationship between tourist experience and tourist inspiration for additional insights.

Since this study explored the inspired-to state of tourist inspiration with a focus on purchase motivation, the proposed theoretical framework of the study can be extended to reflect how tourist inspiration affects tourist revisit intention, tourist wellbeing, and tourist intention to recommend a destination ( Filep and Laing, 2019 ). Future research may also focus on other perspectives to examine tourist inspiration at different stages of travel. For example, how can tourist inspiration influence tourist intention to visit/revisit specific tourist destinations during the pre-travel planning phase? Since a growing number of tourists collect destination information online when making travel plans ( Majeed and Ramkissoon, 2022 ), it will be worth exploring how DMOs can inspire tourists through online information and fuel tourist travel intention for a specific tourist destination.

Data Availability Statement

Ethics statement.

This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Ethics Committee of Shenzhen. All the study participants provided written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of Shenzhen University.

Author Contributions

JX: conceptualization, conduct of the survey, data gathering, data analysis, revisions, development, and proofreading of the manuscript. ZZ: conceptualization and survey design. SM: revisions, development, and proofreading of the manuscript. RC: data analysis. NZ: survey design. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Yufan Jian for her constructive comments to improve the quality of this study.

1 https://www.wjx.cn

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 72172093 and 71832015) and the Science and Technology Research Project of Henan Province, China (Grant No. 222102320001).

Supplementary Material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.895136/full#supplementary-material

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Americans who have traveled internationally stand out in their views and knowledge of foreign affairs

Do people who travel think differently about the world? A new Pew Research Center survey suggests they do.

Americans who have traveled internationally are more interested in and knowledgeable about foreign affairs, feel closer to others around the world, and favor a more active foreign policy, according to the survey of 3,576 U.S. adults conducted in spring 2023. We also surveyed people in 23 other countries about their international travel habits.

This analysis examines international travel with a focus on Americans’ travel, including which Americans travel abroad and how their interest in the world and views of international affairs differ from others.

For this analysis, we surveyed 3,576 U.S. adults from March 20 to March 26, 2023; 3,581 U.S. adults from March 21 to March 27, 2022; and 10,606 U.S. adults from June 14 to June 27, 2021. Everyone who took part in these surveys is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

For non-U.S. data, this report draws on nationally representative surveys of 27,285 adults conducted from Feb. 20 to May 22, 2023. All surveys were conducted over the phone with adults in Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Surveys were conducted face-to-face in Hungary, Poland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. In Australia, we used a mixed-mode probability-based online panel.

Here are the June 2021 survey questions and responses used in this analysis. Those for the March 2022 survey may be found here , as well as those for the March 2023 survey .

How many Americans have traveled internationally?

Roughly three-quarters of Americans (76%) have visited at least one other country, including 26% who have been to five or more. About a quarter (23%) have not traveled internationally, though most in this group say they would if they had the opportunity.

Related:  How experience with international travel varies across 24 countries

To analyze how Americans’ travel experiences relate to their attitudes on other questions, we placed people into three categories:

• Globe-trotters have traveled to at least five other countries. About a quarter of the U.S. public (26%) falls into this category.
• Casual travelers have traveled to between one and four other countries. Half of Americans fall into this category.
• Nontravelers have never left the United States. This category includes 23% of Americans.

Compared with Americans, people in many European nations are more likely to have traveled to five or more other countries. For instance, 88% of Swedes have done so.

However, international travel is much less common in many middle-income nations. It is strongly correlated with a nation’s gross domestic product per capita. (For more on international travel and views about global engagement, read “Attitudes on an Interconnected World.” )

Who travels internationally?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, older people are more likely than younger people to have traveled internationally. Americans ages 65 and older are more than twice as likely as adults under 30 to fall into our globe-trotter category (37% vs. 17%).

Income is even more strongly related to travel than age. Two-thirds of upper-income Americans have traveled to at least five countries, compared with 9% of Americans with lower incomes.

Similarly, Americans with a postgraduate degree are far more likely to be globe-trotters than those with a high school education or less (59% vs. 10%).

Residents of suburban and urban areas generally have more international travel experience than people who live in rural areas.

There are no significant partisan differences when it comes to international travel: 26% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents qualify as globe-trotters, as do 28% of Republicans and GOP leaners.

Do travelers know more about the world?

Globe-trotters are especially likely to say they are interested in foreign affairs and follow international news. Casual travelers, in turn, are more likely than nontravelers to do so.

Globe-trotters are also the most knowledgeable about international affairs. In 2022, we conducted an international affairs quiz , asking Americans 12 questions related to international news. On average, globe-trotters got 8.2 of the 12 questions correct, compared with 6.4 for casual travelers and 4.2 for nontravelers.

Is international travel related to views of global engagement?

International travel experience is also linked to Americans’ views about international affairs and their feelings of connection to other people around the world.

When asked which comes closest to their view, 57% of globe-trotters say the U.S. should be active in world affairs, while 43% say the U.S. should pay less attention to problems in other countries and concentrate on problems at home. In contrast, most casual travelers and nontravelers say the U.S. should focus on problems at home.

In all three groups, at least half of respondents say that when the U.S. is making foreign policy, it should take other countries’ interests into account – even if that means making compromises. But globe-trotters are especially likely to hold that view.

Globe-trotters are also particularly likely to say they feel close to people around the world, with 42% saying so. By comparison, 34% of casual travelers and 30% of nontravelers say this.

• International Affairs

Richard Wike is director of global attitudes research at Pew Research Center

Janell Fetterolf is a senior researcher focusing on global attitudes at Pew Research Center

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Are You a 'Globetrotter'? See How Your Travel Experience Stacks Up to Average Americans

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center uncovered some interesting findings about Americans' travel to other countries. A surprisingly large percentage of Americans have international travel experience, and these global adventures have affected their perspectives in powerful ways.

Are you a longtime world traveler and frequent flyer? Or are you still getting ready to apply for a passport for the first time? No matter where you fall on the spectrum of world travel experience, you might enjoy these insights about how Americans travel -- and how international travel changes people's lives.

Let's look at a few surprising insights from the Pew Research Center on how Americans travel abroad.

A large majority of Americans have traveled to other countries

I'm an American who has spent time living and traveling in other countries. And sometimes I've gotten the impression that people from other countries have a stereotype about Americans. They tend to believe that lots of Americans haven't visited other countries, and that Americans aren't curious about the wider world beyond U.S. borders.

But this stereotype isn't true! The Pew Research survey found that 76% of Americans have international travel experience. Only 23% of Americans have not traveled to other countries -- and most of these non-travelers said they would like to visit other countries if they had the opportunity.

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The Pew Research study broke down the survey respondents into three groups, based on who has traveled the most:

• 26% of Americans are "globetrotters" who have traveled to five or more other countries.
• 50% of Americans are "casual travelers" who have visited one to four other countries.
• 23% of Americans are "non-travelers" who have not (yet) left the U.S.

I have had the great privilege of being able to travel to 11 other countries (so far), which puts me in the "globetrotters" group. Americans have some catching up to do if we want to be as well-traveled as people in Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Europe. Here's how a few of those other places stack up in the rankings on the international "globetrotters" list (five or more countries visited):

The survey results didn't go into detail about which countries were most frequently visited by Americans; maybe a lot of Americans are getting their first international travel experience from countries close to home. Sometimes the best way to break in your new U.S. passport is to take affordable winter vacations in Mexico or the Caribbean. But wherever people are going, it's heartening to see such a large percentage of Americans joining the proud ranks of world travelers.

How international travel changes your life

Traveling to other countries has been one of the most profound and formative experiences of my life. It's the best money I've ever spent. (I wish I was booking another trip right now; where's my credit card ?) International travel is a 24/7 immersive learning opportunity. You learn so much every day in another country, about food and music and language, and all the little nuances of people-watching, getting around, and navigating a new place. Every restaurant meal or grocery store visit is an adventure.

When you're in another country, it feels a little easier to be outgoing, open to possibilities, and excited to greet the day; I've quickly made new friends during my international travels in ways that don't often happen when I'm at home. I believe -- I hope -- that international travel has made me a more broad-minded, well-rounded, and compassionate human being.

There's some evidence that international travel changes your perspective in powerful ways. The Pew Research survey found that "globetrotters" (people who've been to five or more countries) are more likely to be knowledgeable about international affairs, and more likely to have an international perspective. The study found that, among globetrotters:

• 57% want America to be active in world affairs
• 66% want America to take other countries' interests into account, even if it requires compromise
• 42% feel close to people all over the world

We are living through a time of global crises like pandemics, war, and climate change. It's more important than ever for people to find common ground and a shared sense of humanity. International travel can help create those connections, one person at a time.

How to get affordable international travel

Want to join the ranks of the "globetrotters?" Here are a few tips for how to get cheap international travel that fits your budget:

• Search for "anywhere" plane tickets: Use Google Flights , Skyscanner, and Kayak to search for flights to anywhere -- with no specific destination. You'll immediately see surprising deals from your home city to anywhere in the world!
• Be an adventurous traveler : Find a cheap ticket and go to a country where you don't know anyone. One of our writers at The Ascent found a cheap ticket to Santiago, Chile for only $220!
• Use travel deal services : You can get cheap flights by signing up for a few emails from services like Dollar Flight Club or TravelZoo.
• Get savvy about travel rewards credit cards : If you sign up for a travel credit card or an airline credit card, you can often get significant bonus frequent flyer miles. Depending on when and where you fly, your airline credit card can help you get a free (or heavily discounted) international flight!

Bottom line: A surprisingly large majority of Americans have traveled to other countries, and more are likely to join the ranks of "globetrotters" in the years ahead. Booking affordable international travel is more doable than you might think. You too can enjoy the life-changing learning experience of visiting other countries.

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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

Asia Pacific Gen-Zs and Millenials Seek to Unlock Value and Maximize Travel Experience With One Loyalty Program

Regional survey by marriott bonvoy uncovers key traits of travel-oriented, value-driven gen-zs and millennials.

A survey by Marriott Bonvoy, the award-winning travel program of Marriott International, has found that a majority of Gen Zs and Millennials in Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) prefer the simplicity of belonging to one comprehensive loyalty travel program.

While 60% of APEC Gen Zs and Millennials are actively subscribed to loyalty programs, the challenge of juggling several loyalty programs has led most (57%) to seek out one program that meets all their travel needs. Marriott Bonvoy carried out the survey of 1,000 respondents across ten markets in APEC to better understand the shifting attitudes of Millennials and Gen Zs and their travel behaviors. The survey identified an emerging generation of travel-focused, value-driven " Savvy Explorers " in APEC who seek to maximize their travel dollars and unique travel experiences.

Travel in 2024 is a priority for Gen Zs and Millennials: 73% report their intentions to take at least two trips in the next 12 months and 91% plan to spend the same, if not more, on their trips compared to the year before. Travel is viewed as an essential lifestyle component, and most are willing to reduce everyday spending on dining out (60%), shopping sprees (57%) and their daily coffee (54%) so as to spend more on a holiday.

“Survey results suggest that Gen Zs and Millennials in APEC are purposefully strategizing how they can channel value from their everyday spend toward rewarding travel experiences. They also prefer to be part of only one all-encompassing loyalty travel program which fulfills their needs. To this end, Marriott Bonvoy – which gives members access to over 30 brands in 10,000 destinations -- is well positioned to deliver greater value and unlock more experiences for Gen Zs and Millennials,” says John Toomey, Marriott International’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific excluding China .

“As testament to the program’s appeal, we have seen Marriott Bonvoy’s membership base in APEC grow by more than 50% since 2019. What’s more encouraging is that our members are highly active. They earned 40% more points in 2023 compared to 2022, and are putting their points to good use, with points redemptions increasing by more than 55% in the same period,” he reveals.

The trend of greater member growth and activity extends to the Marriott Bonvoy app. APEC member enrolment via digital channels grew by more than 25%, with mobile app downloads and active users more than doubling in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The regional survey also uncovered notable trends amongst Gen Zs and Millennials across the 10 APEC countries. Market-specific trends can be found in Annex A.

Travel value unlocked through everyday spend Savvy Explorers take considered steps to unlock travel value through everyday spend. Leveraging on their familiarity with loyalty programs, APEC’s Gen Z and Millennials employ varied tactics to maximize their travel rewards: four in five say they have gone out of their way to use a travel-linked credit card for everyday purchases, and 67% actively use a travel loyalty program to book and redeem local experiences and staycations.

This trend is supported by usage behaviors of Marriott Bonvoy members in APEC. They accumulated points from stays across more than 8,800 Marriott International properties globally, and through everyday spend. Redemption for hotel stays in 2023 registered a 130% increase compared to pre-pandemic times, accounting for the majority of redemptions, followed by points-to-miles conversions on partner airlines.

Hotels become a key destination to explore Hotel experience is key to winning the hearts and dollars of the Gen Z and Millennial segment, with 99% of respondents believing their hotel choice can make or break their holiday. Hotels are also increasingly viewed as a key destination for exploration, going beyond the role of ‘accommodation’. Nearly four in five respondents expect their hotel to provide curated local programming and experiences, whilst 84% prefer to stay at a hotel with designs and activities reflective of its destination.

The recent debut of Moxy Hotels – noted for its hallmark playful nature, innovative design and contemporary amenities – in key APEC markets exemplifies Marriott International’s commitment to continuously bring new hospitality experiences to the region.

Despite a desire to maximize their travel budgets where they can, their hotel is one area that APEC’s Gen Z and Millennials are willing to invest extra travel dollars towards. Top motivations for new-generation travelers to splurge include the hotel’s room offerings (48%) and location (42%). Whilst amenities remain key considerations, these guests value a seamless travel experience, with mobile-first customer service (61%), reliable WiFi (68%) and flexible check-out (64%) outpacing traditional benefits like lounge access (42%).

Destination ‘dupes’ fuel intra-regional travel demand International travel has returned but APEC’s Gen Z and Millennials remain committed to destinations closer to home. While iconic holiday locations like the Swiss Alps and Bora Bora maintain their appeal, 55% are opting for destinations within the region that provide a similar experience. These so-called “destination dupes” are fast gaining traction amongst this segment because they allow Gen Zs and Millennials to stretch their travel expenses (69%), discover something new (63%) and are easily accessible (62%).

As a reflection of robust intra-regional travel demand in 2023, Marriott International saw over 60% of bookings in APEC coming from within the region.

Corporate backpackers on the rise Gen Zs and Millennials are also taking bleisure travel up a notch by capitalizing on the opportunity of a business trip to embark on multi-destination tours. In addition to extending their travel plans (68%), 84% plan to explore nearby cities and countries as part of their post-work itinerary.

With more than 560 properties across 24 brands in 22 countries and territories in APEC to choose from, Marriott International offers customers a myriad of options to mix work with pleasure.

Off-peak travel maximizes destination experience Gen Zs and Millennials are also carefully planning when to travel to maximize their trip experience. The majority (71%) of Gen Z and Millennials say they would opt to travel during off-peak seasons so as to beat the crowds and get more out of their trip. 67% feel they can do more during low-peak seasons, and 77% leave their holidays feeling more relaxed and rejuvenated.

Where Marriott Bonvoy Can Take You Marriott Bonvoy allows members to earn when they stay or spend at Marriott International’s growing portfolio of over 30 extraordinary brands across 139 countries and territories, and in over 8,800 properties. In APEC, members can benefit from the program’s key strategic partnerships with Singapore Airlines and co-branded credits cards in Japan, Korea and India. With Marriott Bonvoy Moments, members can get access to once-in-lifetime experiences such the opportunity to get closer to the action with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Note to Editor Findings are from a commissioned survey by Marriott International conducted in April 2024 on 1000 Gen Z (18 – 24 years old) and Millennials (25 – 41 years old) based in Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, who would budget for their own travels.

The term ‘Savvy Explorers’ refers to Gen Z and millennial travelers who continue to prioritize travel as a key part of their lifestyle and are always on the lookout for ways in which they can maximize and value add to their planned trips through curated accommodations, key experiences and new destinations.

Refer to Annex A for additional data on the preferences of new generation travelers across the APEC region.

Annex A: 10 Fun Facts About New-generation Travelers Across the APEC Region

• Most likely to sacrifice dining out for a holiday are Australian (76%), Japanese (74%) and Indonesian (68%) travelers. Despite their renown for culinary diversity, majority would prefer to reduce eating out over giving up other everyday luxuries like monthly subscriptions.
• Most frequent travelers in APEC are Southeast Asia’s Gen Z and Millennials, with over a third planning to take more than three trips in the next 12 months. Indonesian (51%), Thai (39%) and Filipino (34%) travelers set to outpace others within the region.
• Top intra-regional travelers are Japanese (71%), Thai (69%) and South Korean (66%) Gen Z and Millennials who prefer holidaying closer to home. However, bucking the trend are Indian and Filipino travelers, with over 60% opting for faraway destinations.
• Top off-peak travelers are Japanese (87%), Australian (81%) and Singaporean (79%) Millennials and Gen Zs. Interestingly, set to drive the high seasons are Indian travelers, with 58% preferring to travel during peak periods.
• Most discerning when choosing their hotel are Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese Gen Z and Millennials, with an overwhelming 90% preferring hotel programming and design that are reflective of the local destination and/or are environmentally friendly.
• Top motivators to splurge on travel for Australian, Indonesian and Singaporean Gen Z and Millennials are quality factors such as hotel reputation and location. In contrast, Japanese and Vietnamese travelers place greater weightage on experiences such as in-hotel dining (Japan: 59%, Vietnam: 47%), whilst Thais prioritize hotel aesthetics (41%).
• Top countries for business travel include Vietnam (85%), India (81%) and Indonesia (78%). Over 80% are also likely to extend their business trips for leisure (Vietnam: 82%, India: 83%, Indonesia: 80%).
• Most valuable travel benefits to APEC’s Gen Z and Millennials are elevated hotel experiences like complimentary dining, spa and room upgrades. Nearly two in three Indian travelers (67%) were also likely to redeem unique travel experiences, whilst over half of Thai travelers (51%) would prefer to receive exclusive merchandise.

About Marriott Bonvoy ® Marriott Bonvoy’s extraordinary portfolio offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world, with 31 brands that are tailored to every type of journey. From The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to W Hotels and more, Marriott Bonvoy has more luxury offerings than any other travel program. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, and through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments™, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques®. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com .

Media Contact Mabel Lee Director of Communications Marriott International, Asia Pacific excluding China [email protected]

Kiran Hans Sr. Manager, Communications Marriott International, Asia Pacific excluding China [email protected]