The Influence of Place Attachment, Ad-Evoked Positive Affect, and Motivation on Intention to Visit: Imagination Proclivity as a Moderator

Sameer Hosany, Daniela Buzova, Silvia Sanz-Blas

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Abstract

Integrating the theoretical foundations of symbolic interactionism, parasocial interaction, direct affect transfer, push and pull motivational framework and narrative transportation, this study investigates the determinants of tourists’ intention to visit a destination using Heidi, a famous literary and television series persona, as a stimulus. Place attachment, ad-evoked positive affect, and motivation were theorized as antecedents of intention to visit and imagination proclivity as a moderator. The model was tested using data collected from 410 prospective Spanish tourists. Results show motivation and place attachment as key determinants of intention to visit among individuals with higher imagination proclivity, while positive affect was most relevant for individuals with low imagination proclivity. Findings expand our understanding of travel intention toward unvisited destinations, providing empirical support that place attachment, positive affect and motivation are engendered by prior media exposure and moderated by tourists’ imagination proclivity.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)477-495
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Travel Research
Volume59
Issue number3
Early online date22 Feb 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2020

Keywords

  • place attachment
  • motivation
  • intention to visit
  • positive affect
  • imagination
  • narrative transportation

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