ABSTRACT
The literature focusing on the ‘tourist experience’ is extensive and scholars from several disciplinary approaches have investigated its contribution to tourism theory and practice. The relevance of the concept is undeniable for tourism marketing and management. Theoretical and empirical studies debate the concept and meaning of tourist experience, the multiple ways tourists conceive the experience, the influencing determinant on tourists’ experiences, the different phases of such experiences and the tourists’ final evaluations of lived experiences. Despite the abundance of studies, some authors still argue on the need for alternative approaches to study this complex construct. The purpose of this contribution is to highlight the essential progresses in understanding, framing and measuring tourist experience and its related outcomes that affect marketing tourism theory and practice. Specifically, this chapter aims at reviewing and systematizing selected existing literature on tourist experience presenting: (a) the conceptual developments of the construct, (b) the typologies of tourist experience and (c) the role of co-creation in tourist experience. Marketing implications are then discussed to enable the understanding of the conditions necessary to keep up with the increasingly sophisticated experience seekers. Suggestions are also provided to advance the field, and shortcomings and open questions are discussed for the benefit of scholars and practitioners. By reviewing the most relevant contributions, themes and models on tourism experience from a tourism marketing perspective, this chapter provides a broad synopsis on tourist experience research.
