Grace B. Yu

How Does a Travel Trip Affect Tourists' Life Satisfaction?

The goal of the research reported in this article was to develop a model describing how positive and negative affect associated with specific experiences of a travel trip influence tourists’ overall sense of well-being (life satisfaction). The model is based on the theoretical notion that a travel trip influences life satisfaction through tourists’ experiences of positive and negative affect associated with a recent tourist trip couched within various life domains (e.g., social life, leisure life, family life, cultural life, health and safety, love life, work life, and financial life). We conducted two studies. The first study was qualitative, designed to identify specific sources of positive and negative affect generated by the most recent tourist trip experiences in the context of various life domains. The second study involved a survey of tourists ( N = 264) to test the model in a formal manner. The data provided support for the overall model; the data also helped identify specific sources of positive and negative affect that play a significant role in tourists’ overall sense of well-being. Specific managerial recommendations are made for tourist operators based on the study findings.

Self-Expressiveness in Sport Tourism Determinants and Consequences

This study develops and tests a model of self-expressiveness in sport tourism, defined as the extent to which a tourist perceives that a sport activity is reflective of his or her personal identity. Self-expressiveness in a sport activity experienced by a tourist should depend on the activity’s perceived difficulty, perceived effort, perceived importance, and potential for self-realization. In turn, a tourist’s self-expressiveness in a sport activity should exert a positive influence on the tourist’s experience of personal happiness (subjective well-being). The results of two surveys involving 1,251 travelers who participated in a dance festival (study 1) and ski activities (study 2) during their vacations confirm the hypotheses, revealing several interesting theoretical and managerial implications.

Does Life Satisfaction of Tourists Increase if They Set Travel Goals That Have High Positive Valence

espanolEl ajuste de los objetivos de un viajero puede influir en la satisfaccion de la vida del viajero. El principio de valencia gol viajes afirma que la satisfaccion vital de los turistas es alta cuando sus objetivos de viaje se relacionan mas con (1) intrinseca de motivos extrinsecos, (2) resumen de los estados concretos deseada, (3) el crecimiento de las necesidades basicas, (4) Enfoque de los estados deseados que la evitacion de estados no deseados, (5) privados de necesidades nondeprived, y (6) el flujo de actividades sin flujo. El objetivo principal de este estudio es evaluar las proposiciones teoricas derivadas del principio de valencia gol viajes en el contexto de los viajes de placer a un parque nacional de vida silvestre (Estudio 1) y los viajes de placer experimentado recientemente (Estudio 2). En el Estudio 1 una tecnica de muestreo de conveniencia fue utilizado por medio de un cuestionario autoadministrado. Se recibieron un total de 228 cuestionarios completados en su totalidad. Estudio 2 hizo uso de una encuesta basada en la web y se utilizo una tecnica de muestreo aleatorio. Un total de 254 cuestionarios fueron utilizados en los calculos estadisticos de Estudio 2. Los resultados de ambos estudios indicaron satisfaccion con la vida que el viajero / turista se puede aumentar cuando tienen objetivos intrinsecos, metas basadas en el crecimiento, y los objetivos relacionados con el flujo de actividades. Para mejorar viajero / bienestar turistica, se recomienda que los vendedores en la industria del turismo implementar programas y servicios guiados por el modelo de valencia meta. EnglishThe setting of a travelers goals can influence the travelers life satisfaction. The travel goal valence principle states that life satisfaction of tourists is high when their travel goals are related more to (1) intrinsic than extrinsic motives, (2) abstract than concrete desired states, (3) growth than basic needs, (4) approach of desired states than avoidance of undesired states, (5) deprived than nondeprived needs, and (6) flow than nonflow activities. The main purpose of this study is to test the theoretical propositions stemming from the travel goal valence principle in the context of leisure travel to a national wildlife park (Study 1) and leisure travel experienced recently (Study 2). In Study 1 a convenience sampling technique was used by means of a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 228 fully completed questionnaires were received. Study 2 made use of a web-based survey and a random sample technique was used. A total of 254 questionnaires were used in the statistical calculations of Study 2. The results from both studies indicated that traveler/tourists life satisfaction can be increased when they have intrinsic goals, growth-based goals, and goals related to flow activities. To enhance traveler/tourist well-being, it is recommended that marketers in the tourism industry implement programs and services guided by the goal valence model.

Culture and Well-Being: A Research Agenda Designed to Improve Cross-Cultural Research Involving the Life Satisfaction Construct

The goal of this chapter was to develop a research agenda to help quality-of-life researchers devise improved methods to measure life satisfaction in large-scale national surveys and making cross-country comparisons. Specifically, we identified six cultural dimensions that have a direct bearing on the measurement of life satisfaction. These are (1) identity (individualism vs. collectivism culture), (2) authority (high- vs. low-power distance culture), (3) competition (femininity vs. masculinity), (4) risk (high- vs. low-uncertainty avoidance), (5) time span (long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation), and (6) status (achievement vs. ascription). Theory and evidence suggest that these cultural factors tend to bias the measurement of life satisfaction in large-scale national and international surveys. As such, we developed a set of theoretical propositions to expound and explicate the cultural bias in the measurement of life satisfaction and offered a set of methodological remedies.

Well-being Marketing as Humanistic Marketing

Well-being marketing refers to the business mechanism that plans, prices, promotes, and distributes consumer goods for the purpose of enhancing customer well-being (i.e., marketing beneficence) while preserving the well-being of all other stakeholders (i.e., marketing non-maleficence). As such, well-being marketing has two dimensions: marketing beneficence and marketing non-maleficence. Marketing beneficence refers to marketing decisions (e.g. market selection, product strategy, price strategy, distribu. tion strategy, and promotion strategy) designed to enhance customer well-being. Conversely, marketing non-maleficence alludes to marketing decisions designed to preserve the well-being of other stakeholders . other than customers (e.g., employees, stockholders, distributors, suppliers, local community, and the environment).