Travel Enjoyment and Website Sensory Features

Abstract

With the enhancement of Information Communication Technologies tourism websites increasingly have the potential to create a greater impact on the experience and behaviour of web users. Though sensory experiences play an important role in structuring tourism experience, the sensory dimensions of experiences remain largely unrecognised, under-researched and under-applied in tourism marketing. The aim of this research is to discover whether sensory descriptions of tourism websites affect web surfers’ enjoyment, which in turn should enhance the quality of trial experience of tourism products, shape expectations and alter behaviour of potential travellers. In order to establish a conceptual framework for the study, a comprehensive literature review was undertaken in experience construct, the potential of experiential marketing and the important role of sensory elements. The focus of the study is on the significance of ICTs in enhancing the experience in cyberspace of consumers. This conceptual model is followed by a Web-based experiment and a qualitative exploratory study. The findings show that sensory descriptions have strong impacts on emotions and virtual experience of the web surfer and, as a result, influence feelings, attitudes about the destination and impacts consumers’ behaviour.