“My friend, my friend, free try, free try”: An investigation of peddling activities through implicit self-theory

Abstract

Hawking and peddling activities are common in tourist attractions to elicit tourist patronage. These controversial practices add vibes to the destination for some but are considered annoying to others. Based on the implicit theories, this paper aims to explore how the lay beliefs of individuals affect customer perceptions towards these practices and the tourist destination. Forty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted at hawking sites in Macao to examine how individuals with divergent mindsets react towards a spectrum of characteristics associated with peddling activities. The findings reveal that entity and incremental theorists form distinct evaluations, encompassing factors such as risk assessment, meaning attribution, experience connections, brand recognition, signalling, and stereotypes. These perceptions are developed throughout different information processing stages, including attention allocation, encoding, retrieval, and reasoning. These results provide insights for businesses and DMOs in administering peddling activities by ensuring accurate information, promoting fair practices and enforcing a trustworthy judicial system.