Reconceptualizing domestic tourism prosocial behaviours

Abstract

This study makes new theoretical propositions that reconceptualize what we know about prosocial behaviours in a tourism context. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews and observations involving 27 domestic tourists, it was found that positive emotional gratifications of joy, gratitude, contentment, and happiness accompanied prosocial behaviours involving group photo-taking and sharing on social media, group dining, buying local pastries in support of the local economy and well-being, and interacting with others. The co-existence of benefits to others (altruism) and the self (egoistic) in prosocial engagement questions whether prosocial behaviours are purely altruistic. Rather than taking a binary conceptualization of prosocial motives, it is argued that prosocial behaviours involve the complementary interaction between altruism and egoistically-motivated behaviours.