Keywords

1 Introduction

The idea of a Memorable Tourism Experience (MTE) has in recent years been at the center of many discussions and it has gained considerably in terms of significance. Its importance lies within the fact that a number of experts in the field of tourism hold that this notion plays a central role when attempting to differentiate between the competitive advantages that one destination may hold against another [1, 2].

It is possible that ways of behaving, as well as personal views and routine behaviors might be affected by memories. What is more, the ways in which the memory of an experience is recalled will influence how the individual chooses to behave in the future [3, 4]. According to [5], destinations and businesses apply their efforts and energy on delivering unique and memorable experiences for travelers. It follows, therefore, that the scholarly research relating to this field has revolved around the general qualities which an encounter that could be described as an MTE would incorporate, as well as the evolution, the measurement and the dimensions of MTE [2, 4, 6,7,8]. Nevertheless, there are fewer studies that have been undertaken on the behavioral intentions and effects of MTEs on behavior [5, 9,10,11] while the area of the effects of specific MTEs dimensions on behavioral intentions needs to be further explored [11, 12].

The objective of the present study is to examine the effect of the seven dimensions of MTEs, as stated by [13] on tourists’ intention to visit again a destination. In this context the specific research question is: How are the MTEs dimensions influence revisit intentions (RI)?

The study contributes to the relevant literature on MTEs by providing a better insight on the effect of specific dimensions on revisit intentions. The study is structured as following. Firstly, the literature review and hypotheses are presented. Secondly, methodology and findings follow and lastly, discussion of the results, conclusions, limitations and directions for future research are presented.

2 Literature Review

2.1 MTEs

In recent years, academic literature and research has become increasingly interested in the notion of consumer experiences [2, 6, 11, 14]. The concept of “tourist experience” has been at the center of scholarly work within the context of tourism research, as exemplified by [5] and [9]. This work has highlighted and developed a number of concepts such as that of the MTEs. The idea of tourism experiences is multidimensional and, as a result, it is difficult to be defined. The traveler’s own assessment and personal opinion of the phases leading up to, during and following his/her journey is included in the process [3, 7].

As defined by Kim et al. [13], MTEs are related to “the positively remembered tourism experience after the occurrence of the event”. As a result, MTEs can be seen as the components of the travel experience that people remember [6, 8, 11]. MTEs are important because they are memories of past experiences which can be recalled and can therefore influence how potential tourists might make future decisions [5, 9, 15].

Different aspects and elements of tourism experience have been proposed by academics. Research has been conducted in order to investigate the activities, familiarity and quality of contact with other cultures, along with the emotional, interpersonal and intellectual qualities that acquaintance carries within it [5, 16]. Furthermore, researchers have also explored the aesthetic, educational, escapist as well as entertainment dimensions of such experiences [4]. A cross-cultural study designed and implemented by [13] confirmed a scale for measuring MTEs. Seven aspects of experience were identified within this scale: hedonism; refreshment; local culture; meaningfulness; knowledge; novelty and involvement. The pleasurable aspects of consuming the tourism experience are referred to as hedonism. This aspect of MTEs is consistent with prior studies which found that there is an emotional component to products relating to tourism [11, 17] which accompanies the travelers’ need to seek pleasure through their tourism experiences. Critical to the tourist industry, the refreshment aspect on the scale, is concerned with the rejuvenation element inherent within the traveling experience. A sense of relaxation and a break from the typical everyday routines and patterns are also part of the refreshment that traveling experiences offer the tourist and these can also influence how memorable these experiences become [4]. Researchers also study the novelty dimension of MTEs, which is a crucial incentive with reference to the traveler’s desire to encounter novel and unexpected experiences in the place they are visiting [6, 18]. Related to the tourists’ interactions with local people at the place of destination is the notion of local culture and the contact extends also to cultural and linguistic experiences for the visitors. The encounters with locals can render the experience more memorable, as a result [9, 17]. Visitors’ participation in the enrichment of MTEs has been previously highlighted by [11] in their research as it is evident that individuals have a tendency to recall events and experiences to which they have a more personal connection. In addition, one of the most compelling reasons for persuading individuals to travel is to learn more about the places one wants to visit, more about their geography and the historical background and context [5, 9, 17]. In this sense, travel can be perceived as a vehicle for personal growth and development, for evolution and advancement all of which add to the experience’s lasting value [19]. Finally, meaningfulness refers to a person’s feelings of a significant accomplishment, of a worthwhile outcome as a result of the specific travel experience [6, 11]. Therefore, the process of travel can add new perspectives, fulfill inner desires and add significance to the person’s work [6]. Thus, it is through traveling that individuals can gain new perspectives, satisfy their innermost needs and also add significance and purpose to their lives [4, 6]. The current study adopts the above mentioned, widely used seven dimensions of MTEs of [13] which were also used by [4, 5, 9].

2.2 MTEs and RI

Marketing literature provides evidence that memories of past experiences which can be recalled, influence consumer behavior [2, 17]. Prior research has indicated the effect of MTEs on tourist behavior [e.g., 9, 4]. More specifically, researchers showed the effects MTEs on intention to recommend [5], while other research has indicated the effect on tourist revisit intentions [2]. Limited research has examined the effects of MTEs dimensions on tourist behavioral intentions. Studies [6, 11] have supported that certain dimensions of MTEs, such as hedonism increase behavioral intentions. Thus, it is expected that MTEs dimensions will positively influence RI. Therefore, hypotheses of the research are stated as following:

  • H1: Hedonism experience has a positive and significant influence on RI.

  • H2: Novelty has a positive and significant influence on RI.

  • H3: Local culture has a positive and significant influence on RI.

  • H4: Refreshment has a positive and significant influence RI.

  • H5: Meaningfulness has a positive and significant influence on RI.

  • H6: Involvement has a positive and significant influence on RI.

  • H7: Knowledge has a positive and significant influence on RI.

3 Methodology

The dimensions and items of the MTEs and RI were evaluated through the review of the literature. More specifically, the seven MTEs dimensions (hedonism, novelty, local culture, refreshment, meaningfulness, involvement, knowledge) and items were adopted from [4, 5, 13, 20, 21] and are shown in Table 1. In regard to RI three items were adopted and modified from [22]: All answers were rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Completely/totally disagree; Completely/totally agree).

Table 1 Descriptive statistics and reliability
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The field research took place in September 2019. The questionnaire was distributed online and a non-probability mixed sampling method (criterial, convenience and snowball sampling) was employed. The criterion to participate in the study was that the individual had to have visited the island of Santorini in the past three years. Invitations were sent to the researcher’s acquaintances via Facebook or email to participate in the research. Participants were then asked to forward the link to their own acquaintances that could potentially participate in the research. A total 720 valid responses questionnaires were collected within the time during which the link was open to receive participants’ responses. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using SPSS AMOS 23 were included in the analysis.

4 Sample Profile

Altogether 720 individuals participated in the study, of which female individuals were slightly overrepresented (44% and 56% respectively). Furthermore, 24.2% of the respondents belong in the age group of up to 24 years old; 25.1% of the respondents belong in the age group of 25 to 34 years old and 31.7% were 35 to 54 years old. Finally, 19% of the respondents are 55 years old and over. In regard to the educational level, 28.4% have secondary or post-secondary education, 46.8% have graduate and 9.5% have postgraduate education. The majority of the respondents were employees (47.2%). A smaller percentage of the respondents (14.4%) are self-employed and 32.2% are students or unemployed. Pensioners consisted of 6.2%. Finally, as regards the family’s net monthly income, 26.7% had up to 1000.00€; 43.5% had 1000.01–2000.00€, and 29.8% had more than 2000.00€.

5 Results and Hypothesis Testing

Table 1 presents the results of the descriptive analysis and Cronbach’s alpha values. All Cronbach’s alpha values are greater than 0.8 and therefore, internal reliability for the MTEs dimensions is ascertained [23]. As far as descriptive statistics, hedonism received the higher mean score (5.55) and meaningfulness (4.84) as well as knowledge (4.84) have the lowest. In regard to specific items, the statement “Enjoyed the experience” of the hedonism dimension received the highest score (5.61). The item “Learned about myself” in the knowledge dimension showed the lowest score (4.64). Figure 1 presents the regression model.

Table 2 Results and hypothesis testing
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Fig. 1
A regression model. Hedonism, novelty, local, refreshment, meaningfulness, involvement, and knowledge point to revisit intention from left to right with values of 0.223, 0.131, 0.09, 0.083, 0.116, 0.184, and negative 0.032. e r e v points to revisit intention from right to left with the value of 1.

The regression model

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Table 2 shows the results of the regression analysis and hypothesis testing. The explanatory power of the regression model is 41.7% for the relationship between MTEs and RI. The findings of the study reveal that hedonism, novelty, meaningfulness and involvement positively influence revisit intention. On the contrary, results indicate that the dimensions of local culture and refreshment had positive but not significant influence on revisit intentions. Furthermore, knowledge had negative but not significant results on RI.

Specifically, results indicate that hedonism experience had a positive and significant influence on RI (0.223) and therefore H1 is supported. Novelty had a positive and significant influence on revisit intention (0.131) and therefore H2 is supported. Local culture had a positive but not significant effect on RI (0.009) and therefore H3 is rejected. Refreshment positively but not significantly influenced revisit intention (0.083) and therefore H4 is rejected. Meaningfulness had a positive and significant influence on RI (0.116) and therefore H5 is supported. Involvement positively and significantly influenced RI (0.184) and therefore H6 is supported. Finally, knowledge had a negative and not significant influence on RI (-0.032) and therefore H7 is rejected (Table 2).

6 Discussion and Concluding Remarks

The study identified MTEs for the visitors of Santorini island. The findings of the study underly the importance of MTEs and offers insights in regard to the influence of the hedonism, refreshment, novelty, knowledge, local culture, involvement and meaningfulness experience on tourist RI. The significance of each dimension is assessed and important aspects of MTEs for the destination are identified. The results of the study contribute to the advancement of the knowledge regarding MTEs, and indicate that hedonism, involvement, novelty and meaningfulness have positive influence on tourists’ RI. On the contrary, results indicated the non-significant effect of refreshment, local culture and knowledge on tourists’ intention to visit again the destination. The results of the study are aligned with previous research by [11] that also indicated the significant effect of hedonism and involvement on revisit intentions in the context of forests recreation destinations. Nevertheless, and in contrast with the study of [11], the present study showed the influence of novelty and meaningfulness on tourist intention to visit the destination again in the future. Results also indicate that local culture, refreshment and knowledge did not have a positive influence on RI. In regard to local culture experience, one might assume that visitor may not have adequate contact with the locals since the destination offers more opportunities for relaxation or entertainment. Also, the findings regarding knowledge are aligned with the studies of [6] and [11] who also found that knowledge negatively affected RI, arguing that visitors possibly wanted to relax and have fun than be interested in acquiring knowledge about the destination. Overall, the findings denote the importance of MTEs on revisit intention, and the great importance of certain elements that relate to the pleasure (hedonism) and novelty of the experience. Moreover, the results show that enhancing participation and involvement will further reinforce tourists’ RI.

The research has important implications both at a theoretical and at a practical level. Theoretically, it contributes to the relevant literature by providing new insights into the underexplored issue of the effects of specific elements of MTEs on RI. At a practical level, it has a significant contribution to the managers of destination organizations and tourism businesses, since it provides practical guidelines and suggestions for budget allocation and the improvement of different aspects of MTEs. In such way, innovation concerning new products and services can be achieved and strategies and programs can be planned and implemented in a more targeted way.

A number of limitations can be identified in this research and these shortcomings provide opportunities for further studies to be carried out in the future. The researcher has used a non-probability sampling method, which restricts the ways in which the results can be generalized. In addition, the work concentrated on a specific location and on domestic tourism. In order to further corroborate the findings of the research, future work should also be conducted which would include a probability sampling method, and would potentially also incorporate the study of the influence of MTEs’ dimensions on RI of foreign tourists as well as diverse destinations.

The current limitations of this work notwithstanding, this study has made some major contributions in terms of analyzing MTEs and their influence on RI, an area that needs further exploitation. In that way, the study offers vital insights regarding an increasingly pertinent and noteworthy issue in the area of tourism marketing.