Tourscape role in tourist destination sustainability: A path towards revisit

Abstract

The tourscape concept is recently coined to represent the general atmosphere experienced by tourists in a destination and includes four dimensions (stimuli): physical, social, socially symbolic, and natural dimensions. Tourist perception of these stimuli is relevant for the development of a tourist destination. This study proposes for the first time that tourscape can also be an important element of the environmental sustainability of a tourist destination when it is in harmony with the environment, since tourscape can play a key role in the tourist experience by eliciting positive intentions and behaviors towards a destination. Based on the stimuli-organism-response (SOR) model, this study analyzes how tourscape elements influence tourists’ revisit intention when they are perceived to be in harmony with the care of the environment through identification with the tourist destination and trust. The results of a sample of 872 tourists show that each dimension of the tourscape is positively related to destination identification. Furthermore, destination identification is directly related to revisit intention, and indirectly related to revisit intention through trust. This study highlights the implications for destination management organizations, with strategic suggestions on how to increase tourist perception regarding the sustainability of the destination and promote revisit intention.