The stimulus-organism-response approach to the overcrowding problem: Qualitative evidence from theme park visitors

Abstract

Increasing demand for theme parks combined with their limited resources have made overcrowding a significant concern for the leisure industry’s major suppliers. An exploratory study was conducted to analyze affectivity, cognitive and behavioral responses to overcrowding, and moderating variables influencing the link between overcrowding and negative affectivity in the context of theme park visits. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with 35 participants who visited theme parks located in Florida. The study findings are presented in three phases. First, the crowding perceptions of the participants result in negative affectivity, including annoyance, constraint, and tiredness. Second, negative affectivity leads to five categories of cognitive and behavioral responses. Third, the paper reports moderating factors of the relationship between overcrowding and negative affectivity in four categories: personal, situational, social, and trip-related. This study proposes a theoretical framework embracing the multiple aspects of overcrowding based on the stimulus-organism-response framework.

Keywords:

• Overcrowding
• theme parks
• visitors
• stimulus-organism-response framework
• qualitative research
• content analysis

Acknowledgment

The first author initiated the study while being a visiting scholar at the University of Florida, Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management.

Ethical approval

This study has been approved by University of Florida Institutional Review Board with reference number IRB201902993.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported through the first author’s receipt of a doctoral award for her dissertation by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under 2214-A International Doctoral Research Fellowships Program [Project number: 1059B141801030].