ABSTRACT

The natural soundscape is an under-researched topic of study in tourism literature. More so, research lacks empirical examination on the antecedents and outcomes of natural soundscape perceptions. Drawing on the extant literature, the present study investigates the interplay of tourist engagement, soundscape perceptions, memorable tourism experiences (MTEs), satisfaction and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Using responses from 221 overland tourists in African destinations who posted their experiences on Instagram, the study employs partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling to test the relationships. The results reveal that engagement positively influenced natural soundscape perceptions, which, in turn, positively influenced memorable tourism experiences, satisfaction, and e-WOM. Also, MTEs predicted satisfaction and e-WOM. The results did not support the antecedent effects of engagement on memorable tourism experiences, nor of satisfaction on e-WOM. The paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and suggests areas for further research.

摘要

自然音景是旅游文学研究中的一个研究不足的课题。更重要的是，研究缺乏对自然音景感知的前因和结果的实证检验。利用现有文献，本研究调查了游客参与、音景感知、难忘的旅游体验 (MTE)、满意度和电子口碑 (e-WOM) 之间的相互作用。该研究使用来自非洲目的地的 221 名陆路游客的回复，他们在 Instagram 上发布了他们的经历，该研究采用偏最小二乘 (PLS) 结构方程模型来测试这些关系。结果表明，参与对自然音景感知产生了积极影响，进而对难忘的旅游体验、满意度和电子口碑产生了积极影响。此外，MTE 预测满意度和 e-WOM。结果不支持参与对难忘的旅游体验的先前影响，也不支持对电子口碑的满意度。本文讨论了研究结果的理论和实践意义，并提出了进一步研究的领域。