TY - JOUR

T1 - The Influence of Place Attachment, Ad-Evoked Positive Affect, and Motivation on Intention to Visit

T2 - Imagination Proclivity as a Moderator

AU - Hosany, Sameer

AU - Buzova, Daniela

AU - Sanz-Blas, Silvia

PY - 2020/3/1

Y1 - 2020/3/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - place attachment

KW - motivation

KW - intention to visit

KW - positive affect

KW - imagination

KW - narrative transportation

U2 - 10.1177/0047287519830789

DO - 10.1177/0047287519830789

M3 - Article

VL - 59

SP - 477

EP - 495

JO - Journal of Travel Research

JF - Journal of Travel Research

SN - 0047-2875

IS - 3

ER -