Overland tourists’ natural soundscape perceptions: influences on experience, satisfaction, and electronic word-of-mouth

ABSTRACT

The natural soundscape is an under-researched topic of study in tourism literature. More so, research lacks empirical examination on the antecedents and outcomes of natural soundscape perceptions. Drawing on the extant literature, the present study investigates the interplay of tourist engagement, soundscape perceptions, memorable tourism experiences (MTEs), satisfaction and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Using responses from 221 overland tourists in African destinations who posted their experiences on Instagram, the study employs partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling to test the relationships. The results reveal that engagement positively influenced natural soundscape perceptions, which, in turn, positively influenced memorable tourism experiences, satisfaction, and e-WOM. Also, MTEs predicted satisfaction and e-WOM. The results did not support the antecedent effects of engagement on memorable tourism experiences, nor of satisfaction on e-WOM. The paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and suggests areas for further research.

KEYWORDS:

• Soundscapes
• overland tourism
• tourist engagement
• tourism experiences
• tourist satisfaction
• electronic word-of-mouth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zandivuta Kankhuni

Zandivuta Kankhuni is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism at Mzuzu University, Malawi. He recently finished his PhD in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research interests include destination marketing, destination brand equity, and tourist behaviour.

Cecilia Ngwira

Cecilia Ngwira is a PhD candidate in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She has special research interests in cultural heritage tourism, destination brand experiences, and tourism development. Cecilia is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism at Mzuzu University, Malawi.