Discrete Tourist Emotions and Recommend Intention

Abstract

This study aims to examine the influence of discrete tourist emotions on tourist satisfaction, overall destination image, and willingness to recommend in the context of heritage tourism. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 250 domestic tourists visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites in Indonesia through purposive sampling. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 24 was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that positive emotions significantly influence tourist satisfaction and overall image, while negative emotions have a significant negative effect on satisfaction but not on overall image. Tourist satisfaction and overall image are found to be significant predictors of willingness to recommend. The findings contribute to the literature on emotional experiences in tourism by highlighting the differential roles of discrete emotions. Practically, destination managers should focus on designing experiences that evoke positive emotions while minimizing negative emotional triggers to enhance destination competitiveness.