Author(s): Clayton Kunz, Jane Paulsen, Jack Richard
Mentor(s): Peter Ward
Institution BYU
This study has two main goals: first, to introduce the concept of destination longing, which describes a traveler’s emotional desire to reconnect with specific destinations, and second, to test this construct by examining how novelty, social connection, and challenge impact destination longing. For places familiar to us, destination longing arises from reflecting on past experiences and a strong desire to relive them. This construct builds upon theories of structured experiences and place attachment, where reflection on meaningful experiences at a location strengthens emotional ties, intensifying the desire to return. Additionally, forward-thinking desire—the drive to experience anticipated nostalgia—reinforces this longing. Reflection and forward-thinking desire create longing for a specific place. For the study's second goal, the theory of self-expansion—the process of broadening one's sense of self by acquiring new identities and developing new perspectives—was used. This framework, along with novelty, social connection, and challenge were used to understand destination longing better. The study’s stated hypotheses explore the relationships of these factors, assuming that individuals are more likely to return to locations where self-expansion occurred. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) develop and explore the new construct of destination longing and (2) determine if the variables of challenge, novelty, and social connection are predictors of destination longing. Survey data was collected from tourists in the Netherlands. Destination longing was measured through a likelihood to recommend (M = 8.23, SD = 1.80)—measuring reflection on an experience—and the likelihood to revisit (M = 8.07, SD = 2.10)—assessing the emotional desire to relive an experience. These two items were summed to create the destination longing variable (M = 16.30, SD = 3.35). Findings suggested a strongly moderate, significant correlation between likelihood to recommend and likelihood to revisit (r = 0.476, p < 0.001), making a preliminary case for the viability of a destination longing construct. However, when social connection (M = 8.67. SD = 2.36), novelty (M = 6.11, SD = 1.86), and challenge (M = 5.31, SD = 1.97) were considered together using a multi regression, only social connection was a significant predictor of destination longing (r = 0.23, p < 0.001). These findings offer valuable insights for experience-based industries, like tourism, highlighting the importance of social connection in fostering an emotional connection with specific destinations. By understanding destination longing, businesses can strategically design experiences that promote repeated visits and boost overall destination satisfaction and engagement.