What Tourism Forgot to Feel: A Foundational Realignment of Emotion Theory and Measurement in Tourism Marketing

Vanessa Hunter; Gavin Northey; Sarah Gardiner; Scott Weaven; Rory Mulcahy

doi:10.1177/00472875261424433

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What Tourism Forgot to Feel: A Foundational Realignment of Emotion Theory and Measurement in Tourism Marketing

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

What Tourism Forgot to Feel: A Foundational Realignment of Emotion Theory and Measurement in Tourism Marketing

Vanessa Hunter, Gavin Northey, Sarah Gardiner, Scott Weaven and Rory Mulcahy

Journal of Travel Research, Vol.Advanced access, pp.1-27

23-Mar-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875261424433

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Abstract

tourism marketing

discrete emotions

emotion measurement

consumer behaviour

emotion theory

systematic literature review

Emotion is not peripheral, but rather foundational to tourism's appeal. It shapes imagination and transforms destinations into meaningful experiences. Yet, while the tourism industry increasingly leverages emotional storytelling to inspire action, academic research has not kept pace. This systematic literature review examines how emotion has been theorised, measured and modelled. Despite decades of critique, a limited emotional repertoire persists, with generalised constructs, such as satisfaction, continuing to dominate at the expense of tourism-relevant emotions, such as romance, awe, boredom, amusement and envy. Theoretical integration remains weak, and emotion is typically examined in post-travel contexts, overlooking the pre-travel, acquisition stage where industry campaigns concentrate their emotional appeals and investment. In response, the article advances six propositions that reposition emotion as a core construct in tourism marketing. Together with the Tourism Emotion Framework, these contributions offer a practical and theoretical foundation for designing, measuring and mobilising emotion across the travel journey.

Details

Title: What Tourism Forgot to Feel: A Foundational Realignment of Emotion Theory and Measurement in Tourism Marketing
Authors: Vanessa Hunter (Corresponding Author) - Griffith University
Gavin Northey - Griffith University
Sarah Gardiner - Griffith University
Scott Weaven - Griffith University
Rory Mulcahy - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Journal of Travel Research, Vol.Advanced access, pp.1-27
Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc.
DOI: 10.1177/00472875261424433
ISSN: 1552-6763
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Data Availability: No new data were generated or analysed in the course of this study. Covidence coding spreadsheet is available.
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991220445702621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism

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