Exploring the dimensions of bed and breakfast (B&B) visitors’ experiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the rapid development of the experience economy and sharing economy, bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation, favoured by more and more tourists, has become an indispensable component of tourism. Gaining knowledge of the experiential features of tourist activities at B&Bs is paramount for B&B operators to understand and satisfy tourists’ wide-ranging needs. With this concern in mind, the purpose of this study was to develop a multiple-item scale to measure tourists’ experiences of staying at B&Bs. We developed an experiential scale with 24 embedded items in six dimensions: entertainment, aesthetics, escapism, education, relationship development, and folk custom. The data support this dimensional structure, as well as its internal consistency and validity. This research bridges the gap in measuring the experiential stay at B&B and puts forward directions for future research. The findings offer important practical implications for B&B operations in relation to experiential product development and marketing.