Service Fairness, Consumption Emotions, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions: The Experience of Chinese Heritage Tourists

ABSTRACT

Drawing on the cognitive appraisal theory and the justice theory from the marketing and tourism literature, this study attempts to illuminate the embedded impact of tourist experience on overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions in a cognitive-affective-behavioral framework. The findings suggest that service fairness is an antecedent of consumption emotions (positive and negative) that, in turn, influence satisfaction and behavioral intentions in the context of Chinese natural heritage tourism. Notably, the results highlight the mediating role of tourists’ consumption emotions. This article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications to heritage tourism researchers and managers.

Keywords:

• Service fairness
• consumption emotions
• satisfaction
• behavioral intentions
• heritage tourism

Acknowledgments

This research was jointly supported by the National Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China (Grant No. 71203240), the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71221061), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2013M531820), and the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Central South University. In addition, the authors greatly appreciate the constructive suggestions from Professor Wang Liang (Macau University of Science and Technology, China), Fucai Huang (Xiamen University, China), and two Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing reviewers.