TY - JOUR

T1 - Experiential marketing as a tool to enhance Tourists’ pre-travel online destination experiences?

T2 - A web-based experiment

AU - Köchling, Anne

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2021/12/1

Y1 - 2021/12/1

N2 - Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are increasingly using experiential marketing on their websites to generate positive pre-travel online destination experiences (ODEs). However, little is known about the ODE construct and the effects of applying experiential marketing on destination websites on ODEs. A scale was developed and applied in a web-based experiment to measure ODEs and to enhance the understanding of the dimensionality of this construct. The travel inspiration phase was simulated and the ODEs of three experimental groups exposed to different websites of the destination Reunion Island were compared. The experiment was conducted with a representative sample of German internet users. Findings indicate that when surfing on a destination website in the inspiration phase, the users’ ODE is holistic and cannot be differentiated into theoretically relevant dimensions (e.g. sensory or affective). Moreover, the application of experiential marketing had a statistically significant, small effect on ODEs when adjusted for aspects of personal relevance. Yet, ODE differences between high and medium levels of experiential marketing were negligible. Accordingly, DMOs should realize that experiential marketing enhances ODEs, but beyond a certain level, additional complex multi-media elements do not necessarily further increase the experiential effect. For the important assessment of experiential user reactions, the developed ODE scale provides a first approach.

AB - Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are increasingly using experiential marketing on their websites to generate positive pre-travel online destination experiences (ODEs). However, little is known about the ODE construct and the effects of applying experiential marketing on destination websites on ODEs. A scale was developed and applied in a web-based experiment to measure ODEs and to enhance the understanding of the dimensionality of this construct. The travel inspiration phase was simulated and the ODEs of three experimental groups exposed to different websites of the destination Reunion Island were compared. The experiment was conducted with a representative sample of German internet users. Findings indicate that when surfing on a destination website in the inspiration phase, the users’ ODE is holistic and cannot be differentiated into theoretically relevant dimensions (e.g. sensory or affective). Moreover, the application of experiential marketing had a statistically significant, small effect on ODEs when adjusted for aspects of personal relevance. Yet, ODE differences between high and medium levels of experiential marketing were negligible. Accordingly, DMOs should realize that experiential marketing enhances ODEs, but beyond a certain level, additional complex multi-media elements do not necessarily further increase the experiential effect. For the important assessment of experiential user reactions, the developed ODE scale provides a first approach.

KW - Destination website

KW - Experiential marketing

KW - Online destination experience

KW - Pre-travel phase

KW - Travel inspiration

KW - Web-based experiment

KW - Tourism studies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118902575&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/de947aca-7fe8-3858-bede-e24eb75b76e8/

U2 - 10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100669

DO - 10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100669

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85118902575

VL - 22

JO - Journal of Destination Marketing and Management

JF - Journal of Destination Marketing and Management

SN - 2212-571X

M1 - 100669

ER -