Resumo

The global tourism market is increasingly competitive. Companies need to create unique identities to differentiate themselves from their competitors and attract more clientele to tourist destinations. Nevertheless, several variables, such as price, brand personality, quality, and loyalty, can influence the choice of a tourist destination. In addition to the variables mentioned above, fascination has grasped scholarly attention in tourism literature . Fascination or involuntary attention is based on the interest and meanings that people effortlessly capture from visual patterns.

By recognizing that fascination can occur in the destination or even before visiting the destination, this research brings up the discussion of how the variables of the destination fascination are related to the intention to visit and revisit. So, the objective of this study is to analyze the relation between destination fascination and a memorable experience, as well as the intention to (re)visit.

Liu et al. (2017) define a fascinating destination as the the degree of freedom tourists have to pay attention to attractions of interest to them and to identify and give personal meaning to destination details. In their conceptualization of a fascinating destination Liu et al. (2017) identified that this is a multidimensional construct formed by 6 dimensions: mystique, friendliness, attractiveness, richness, uniqueness, and fitness. The intention to visit is part of a complex process that acts in decision-making and tourist behavior (Mohsin, 2005; Suciati et al., 2017).

Two studies based on a survey and structural equation modeling were conducted. Study 1, with a sample of 348 people, measured the destination fascination constructs that lead to the intention to visit a destination not yet visited. Study 2 had a sample of 296 people and measured the effect of destination fascination constructs on the memorable experience and on the intention to revisit a destination already visited.

The results show that fitness and mystique influence the intention to visit, while friendliness and richness influence memorable experience, which in turn influences the intention to revisit.

Was identified that the variables of the fascinating destination have different effects on the memorable experience and on the intention to (re)visit. Therefore, managers need to recognize the tourists’ profiles to reinforce their image of the destination. Additionally, managers may stress the mystical characteristics of the destination to arouse curiosity and increase the intention to visit, such as stressing the location’s mysterious attributes or energy recovery capacity.

Liu, C. R., Wang, Y. C., Huang, W. S. and Chen, S. P. (2017), “Destination fascination: Conceptualization and scale development”, Tourism Management, Vol. 63 No. 6, pp. 255-267. Preez, E. A. and Govender, L. K. (2020), “Travelling to the Motherland: relating acculturation to diaspora tourism experiences”, Anatolia, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 197-210. Wang, Y. C., Liu, C. R., Huang, W. S. and Chen, S. P. (2020), “Destination fascination and destination loyalty: Subjective well-being and destination attachment as mediators”, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 59 No. 3, pp. 496-511.