The impact of tourism activity type on emotion and storytelling: The moderating roles of travel companion presence and relative ability

Abstract

This research starts by distinguishing how different emotion components may be stimulated by different product types. Based on initial findings, a conceptual model is developed and tested that investigates a tourist’s emotional arousal as a mediating variable between the tourism activity type and subsequent storytelling intentions. Based on social facilitation theory and self-expansion model, this research further investigates the potential moderating effect of having a travel companion and that companion’s relative ability related to the tourism activity type on the impact of tourism activity type on emotional arousal. Four experiments are used to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings indicate that an experiential purchase has a greater effect on emotional arousal (not pleasure) than the purchase of a physical good. A more challenging(relaxing) tourist activity has a stronger (weaker) positive impact on emotional arousal and a tourist’s storytelling intentions. Emotional arousal fully mediates the effect of tourism activity type on storytelling intentions. Having a travel companion, or not, was found to moderate the relationship of tourist activity type and emotional arousal. A challenging tourism activity has a stronger positive effect on a tourist’s arousal when traveling with a companion. The arousal effect of engaging in a challenging tourism activity is attenuated when traveling alone. Moreover, based on the moderating effect of having a companion, or not, the perceived ability of a travel companion regarding the type of activity engaged in, was also found to moderate the link between activity type and emotional arousal. The greater the traveling companion’s relative perceived ability, the greater the effect on emotional arousal for challenging tourism activities. This effect is attenuated when the ability of the traveling companion is perceived as less than that of the tourist. The paper closes with a discussion of theoretical contributions and managerial implications derived from the findings.