The Mediating Effect of Experiential Value on Tourist Outcomes from Encounter-Based Experiences

• Published in: Journal of travel research 2020-02, Vol.59 (2), p.367-380
• Main Authors: Barnes, Stuart J., Mattsson, Jan, Sørensen, Flemming, Friis Jensen, Jens
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Mediation; Tourism; Travel agencies
• ISSN: 0047-2875; 1552-6763
• DOI: 10.1177/0047287519837386

In this paper, we examine the mediating effect of experience value between experiential elements of employee–tourist encounters and the final experiential outcomes. The Tourism Encounter Mediated Experience Value (TEMEV) model is tested via a survey at 13 different locations (attractions, hotels, and retail) in Copenhagen (n=2,955). The findings illustrate how, for different types of tourism companies, experiential value plays varying roles as a mediator between employee–tourist encounter characteristics and tourists’ intentions to recommend an experience as well as their memory of the experience. The most complex relationship identified is for hotels, where experiential value is a significant mediator for the personalized, flexible, and emotional constructs of encounters. Surprisingly, experiential value plays no significant mediating role between cocreation or knowledge/learning in encounters and memory or recommendation intention in any of the sectors examined. The study concludes with implications for theory, practice, and study limitations.