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Article

The Fun Factor: Unlocking Place Love Through Exceptional Tourist Experiences

by
Hyeyoon Choi
1,*,
Hwansuk Chris Choi
2 and
Lena Jingen Liang
3
1
Department of Recreation, Sport Pedagogy and Consumer Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
2
School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
3
Department of Business, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(5), 246; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6050246
Submission received: 16 October 2025 / Revised: 7 November 2025 / Accepted: 13 November 2025 / Published: 18 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining Tourism Marketing and Destination Planning in a Changing World)
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Abstract

Fun plays a pivotal role in unlocking positive outcomes. Tourists can fall head over heels for a destination or lose interest as they immerse themselves in their journey. This study examined the mediating role of fun in the relationship between service excellence and place love and further investigated how expectation congruence moderates this effect. Our findings reveal that service excellence exerts significant influences on all dimensions of fun. Moreover, the four dimensions of fun—social vigor, emotional spark, psychological zest, and flow–significantly affect place love. Additionally, expectation congruence significantly moderates the effect of service excellence on flow and emotional spark.

1. Introduction

Destinations are well aware that cultivating a sense of love—defined as an intense, emotional attachment—to a place can significantly enhance their destination brand. They strive to offer a wide range of venues with rich, experiential attributes that evoke positive emotions (Sihombing et al., 2024). In this study, “fun” is defined as the hedonic experience derived from engaging in enjoyable activities, while “place love” refers to the deep, emotional bond that tourists form with a destination. However, there is a growing concern that relying solely on the umbrella term of “positive emotion” may not be sufficient to create experiential value and sustain long-term relationships. This study addresses this concern by exploring the world of positive emotions, focusing on a single, often acute emotion—specifically, fun (Choi & Choi, 2019)—to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how fun influences consumer behavior in tourism.
Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) emphasize that creating positive emotions and experiences involves the “symbolic, hedonic, and aesthetic aspects of consumption” as “pursuits of fantasies, feelings, and fun” (p. 132). Despite numerous studies highlighting the importance of fun in tourism marketing (Chen et al., 2021), empirical work specifically examining how expectation congruence moderates the impact of fun remains scarce. As tourist activities inherently yield positive experiences, “fun” becomes a crucial factor in assessing these. Despite the relevance, the study of fun in tourism consumer behavior remains limited (Tasci & Ko, 2015), and the role of expectation congruence—how well a tourist’s experience aligns with their expectations—has not been adequately explored.
Although designing fun experiences has garnered attention, there has been limited exploration of the factors that contribute to fun. While fun may interest tourism marketers, it is a highly subjective feeling (Wright et al., 2021). In tourism, where hedonic value is paramount, fun significantly contributes to tourist satisfaction and enduring attachment to a destination by encouraging complete immersion in activities. This study expands existing literature by examining conditions under which fun is experienced—specifically, how service excellence facilitates fun and ultimately contributes to tourists’ ‘place love.’ It also investigates how expectation congruence moderates the mediating effect of fun on the relationship between service excellence and place love.
One such factor is service excellence, which is crucial for delivering the positive experiences that tourists seek (Han et al., 2021). While destinations can be reliable and convenient, infusing fun distinguishes them in the market. Traditional tourism marketing focuses on meeting needs, but recent offerings aim to foster emotional connections through immersive experiences. The positive emotions tourists feel depend on how well the destination aligns with their desires. Expectation congruence refers to whether the experience aligns with tourists’ wants and needs (De Clercq et al., 2014).
Although fun is not new, its nature has seldom been clearly defined in tourism (Chu et al., 2017). This study is among the first to explore the mediating role of fun in the relationship between service excellence and place love and to examine how expectation congruence moderates this relationship. Theoretically, this study fills the gap in understanding the impacts of fun in tourism, and practically, it provides industry professionals with valuable insights for developing experiential offerings, creating unforgettable experiences for tourists, and cultivating a strong sense of place love.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Emotion in Consumer Behavior Studies

Companies increasingly recognize the importance of examining each emotion individually to gain a competitive edge. For marketers, pinpointing specific positive emotions to understand their unique effects is crucial, as it facilitates the development of tailored and sophisticated marketing strategies (Sihombing et al., 2024). Customers experiencing positive emotions are more likely to become brand ambassadors, contributing to a firm’s growth and success.
Historically, research has primarily focused on positive emotions from a broader perspective. For example, Mehrabian and Russell’s (1974) pleasure, arousal, and dominance (PAD) scale has been widely used to measure positive emotion. However, this approach often fails to capture the diverse and sometimes inconsistent effects of different types of positive emotions on consumer behavior.
In recent years, a more refined exploration of each distinctive positive emotion has been advocated with more emphasis on the experiential aspects of consumption that drive hedonic responses (Wright et al., 2021). Firms recognize the importance of examining each emotion separately to gain a competitive advantage. Thus, marketers must differentiate specific positive emotions to identify their corresponding effects. For example, Pham et al. (2011) found that one specific emotion, “relaxed,” exerted a more positive influence on consumers’ perceptions of value for money compared to other pleasant emotions (e.g., excitement, interest).
Despite these advances, prior studies have largely overlooked the unique operationalization and measurement of fun within tourism contexts. Few studies have empirically examined how fun—defined as the hedonic experience derived from engaging activities—directly impacts consumer behavior, leaving a critical gap in the literature. In this context, the present study examines the impact of the specific positive emotion, fun, on tourists’ behavioral outcomes. By focusing on fun, this research aims to provide valuable insights for marketers seeking to develop more targeted and effective promotional strategies in the tourism industry.

2.2. Fun

2.2.1. Definitions

The concept of ‘fun’ is frequently referenced, yet its definition remains complex and context-dependent (Tasci & Ko, 2015). ‘Fun’ is a subjective experience shaped by individual perceptions, making universal definitions challenging (Wilk, 2022). Vieira and da Silva (2017) note that ‘it is hard to define fun in a few sentences’ (p. 131). Due to these complexities, researchers across disciplines have proposed various definitions. While some define fun broadly as moments of joy or playfulness, others conceptualize it as a multi-dimensional experience with social, psychological, and emotional dimensions. This study adopts Tasci and Ko’s (2015) conceptualization, which captures the multi-dimensional aspects of fun relevant to tourism, such as social vigor, psychological zest, and emotional spark, making it ideal for analyzing the hedonic nature of tourism experiences. Despite ongoing debates about the precise definition and dimensions, the hedonic value of fun is particularly significant in tourism, given its service- and experience-oriented nature. Hedonic value is the perceived worth derived from the subjective experience of fun as the underlying mechanism (Ponsignon et al., 2024).
In tourism, past research has confirmed that visiting specific destinations can foster positive emotions, and fun may serve as a core element of the consumer experience (Chen et al., 2020; Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982). Fun, defined as the joyful enjoyment from leisure activities during travel, can drive positive behavioral intentions; thus, tourist destinations should actively cultivate fun. According to Choi and Choi (2019), fun significantly influences behavioral outcomes. Tasci and Ko (2015) emphasize the fun’s potential in investigating hedonic consumption. Thus, to capture the full range of emotional responses during travel, this study employs the Fun Scale developed by Tasci and Ko (2015).
Tasci and Ko (2015) describe ‘fun’ as “the component of an object hedonic value that yields desired sensory outcomes” (p. 163). Their empirical study identified four dimensions of fun: social vigor, psychological zest, emotional spark, and flow. They conceptualized that the relationship of social vigor, psychological zest, and emotional spark culminates in a sense of flow, eventually “allowing him or her to lose their track of time and space, and forget about their duties (p. 163)”. It can be posited that when tourists experience intense, emotionally charged moments, their effect of “flow” emerges during consumption. This study, therefore, examines fun through the lenses of social vigor, psychological zest, emotional spark, and flow.

2.2.2. Dimensions of Fun

The concept of fun has evolved from a mere recreational idea to a management perspective, garnering attention for its positive outcomes. As Wilk (2022) suggests, engaging in enjoyable activities can evoke a range of positive emotions. Using responses from Yahoo! Answers, Tasci and Ko (2015) developed a 21-item scale that identified four distinct realms of fun: social vigor, psychological zest, emotional spark, and flow.
Social vigor focuses on tourists’ interactions with others, such as friends and family, during fun experiences. This is supported by Lockstone and Baum (2008), who found that commonwealth events promote fun and strengthen family relations. Previous research suggests that social interactions between hosts and tourists can positively influence satisfaction and attitudes toward a destination (Hosany et al., 2022). Therefore, social vigor is a critical dimension that can lead tourists to develop a sense of place love.
Psychological zest encompasses the vitality, enthusiasm, and energy tourists feel while having fun. Rooted in positive psychology, it is described by Peterson and Peterson (2009) as “a positive trait reflecting a person’s approach to life with anticipation, energy, and excitement” (p. 161), similarly defined by Sezgin and Erdogan (2015) as “living life adventurously and feeling oneself active and alive” (p. 10). In essence, it represents a positive, engaging attitude that can enhance satisfaction and attachment to a destination.
Emotional spark highlights the peak moments and passion derived from fun experiences. Ellis et al. (2024) suggests that the emotional spark is an intensified emotion triggered by specific activities, resulting in feelings of passion and an enhanced enjoyment of life. As an episodic emotion, it can strengthen a consumer’s memory, thus potentially increasing their affection for a destination.
Flow refers to the holistic sensation experienced when one is fully absorbed in an activity. Based on Csikszentmihalyi’s (1975, 1990) theory, flow is a state of intense focus in which one loses track of time and space. Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi (2009) list six elements that contribute to the mental state of flow: focused concentration, the merging of action and awareness, loss of self-consciousness, a sense of control, distorted time perception, and intrinsic reward. DeMatos et al. (2021) note that full engagement in an activity triggers a flow state, heightening the perception of fun. This state can enhance positive feelings about a destination, thus increasing place love.

2.3. Hypotheses Development

In this study, we adopted the S-O-R (stimulus-organism-response) paradigm to investigate the relationships among service excellence, fun-related emotional reactions, and tourists’ attachment to a destination, also known as place love. The S-O-R framework posits that external stimuli, such as service excellence, influence internal emotional reactions (organism), which in turn shape their behavioral responses.
Service excellence serves as the stimulus, a key attribute for enhancing satisfaction and revisit intentions. While Mehrabian and Russell (1974) defined stimuli as any external factors influencing internal states, Bagozzi (1986) emphasized that the organism encompasses the “internal processes that mediate these effects” (p. 46). In our study, fun is treated as the organism factor mediating the effect of service excellence on behavioral outcomes, measured via Tasci and Ko’s (2015) four dimensions: psychological zest, flow, social vigor, and emotional spark. We expect that some fun dimensions (e.g., psychological zest and flow) may exert a stronger impact on place love due to their direct ties to immersion and enjoyment. In contrast, social interactions (social vigor) might have a more moderate effect. The response, representing tourist attachments or place love, aligns with approach behaviors in the classical S-O-R framework. Prior research indicates that consumers not only develop relationships with brands (Bose et al., 2022) but also cultivate a sense of “love” for them (Shafiee et al., 2021). Similarly, a place of love is defined as the emotional bond tourists feel towards destinations (Swanson, 2015).

2.3.1. Effect of Service Excellence (S) on Fun (O)

Appraisal research suggests that the interpretation and evaluation of events determine which specific emotion will be elicited (Choi & Choi, 2019). Mehrabian and Service excellence is used as the stimulus because it is a critical attribute for enhancing satisfaction and revisit intention. By eliciting diverse appraisal patterns, service excellence is expected to drive higher levels of all fun dimensions, although variations may occur in the magnitude of its effect.
According to Bagozzi (1986), the organism comprises the internal processes that mediate the relationship between external stimuli and final responses. Here, fun mediates the relationship between service and customer behavior, as measured by Tasci and Ko’s (2015) four dimensions, thereby enhancing the response—place love.
Andersen and Ankerstjerne (2013) defined service excellence as “the extent to which a service surpasses customers’ needs and expectations” (p. 4). When an organization fails to deliver service excellence, customers tend to exhibit negative responses, resulting in dissatisfaction and disaffection (Sarkar & Sarkar, 2021). However, service excellence, when effectively delivered, has the potential to foster emotional connections with customers, thereby enhancing customer loyalty and long-term relationships (Asif & Gouthier, 2014). With this understanding, the following hypotheses have been proposed:
H1. 
Service excellence will be positively related to social vigor.
H2. 
Service excellence will be positively related to psychological zest.
H3. 
Service excellence will be positively related to emotional spark.
H4. 
Service excellence will be positively related to flow.

2.3.2. Effect of Fun (O) on Place Love (R)

Consumers’ corresponding outcomes and behavior can be viewed as the response. In the classical S-O-R framework, the response can be approached or avoided (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974). This study focused on the approach behaviors that represent a tourist’s attachment to a destination, that is, their deep-seated affection for a place. Here, place love is operationalized as the intimate, emotional bond a tourist develops with a destination. Previous studies have found that satisfaction alone is insufficient to keep tourists loyal to a destination or product (Kusuma et al., 2021). Some tourists, although satisfied, may stop visiting a place. Thus, understanding and enhancing place attachment is critical to sustaining loyalty among even the satisfied segment.
Sternberg (1986) presented a triangular theory of love, which consists of (1) intimacy, (2) passion, and (3) decision/commitment, suggesting that these components interact to form diverse kinds of loving experiences. Brand love has become paramount for destination products and services (Shafiee et al., 2021). This study highlights that while brand love has been well-explored in the literature, the specific phenomenon of place love—particularly for destination brands—remains under-examined.
In marketing and consumer behavior, Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) underscored the symbolic, hedonic, and esthetic nature of consumption in the pursuit of “fantasies, feelings, and fun” (p. 132). Given that certain fun dimensions may elicit more intense emotional engagement, we hypothesize that dimensions such as psychological zest and flow will exert a comparatively stronger influence on place love than other dimensions. Consequently, the following hypotheses have been proposed:
H5. 
Social vigor experienced at the destination will be positively related to the place of love.
H6. 
Psychological zest experienced at the destination will positively relate to the place of love.
H7. 
The emotional spark experienced at the destination will be positively related to the place of love.
H8. 
Flow experienced at the destination will positively relate to place love.

2.3.3. Expectation Congruence as a Moderator

Expectation congruence, also known as motive consistency, is crucial for understanding how emotions emerge stimuli. Roseman (1983) proposed that appraisals have a significant impact on emotions, with different combinations eliciting distinct emotions. In this study, service excellence is considered as a stimulus. According to Choi and Choi (2019), emotions result from a series of appraisals. Among these, the situational state evaluates whether events align with a person’s motives (Jiang et al., 2022). When an event is appraised as motive-consistent, it produces positive emotions, such as fun, whereas motive-inconsistent events yield negative emotions.
Organizations that provide service excellence strive to be the top performers in customer satisfaction and productivity. Appraisal theorists contend that the critical determinant of any emotion is the comparison between the actual state and the desired state (Choi & Choi, 2019). The gap between customer expectations and perceptions can be used to assess service excellence. Some studies have shown that situational or cognitive factors can moderate emotions through appraisals (Jiang et al., 2022).
Expectation congruence is expected to be associated with consumers’ experiential outcomes. Recognizing the significance of expectation congruence, past researchers have emphasized the importance of understanding one’s emotions in relation to others in order to deliver more desirable customer service outcomes. Consequently, the following hypotheses have been proposed:
H9. 
Expectation congruence moderates the effect of service excellence in place love via social vigor.
H10. 
Expectation congruence moderates the effect of service excellence to place love via psychological zest.
H11. 
Expectation congruence moderates the effect of service excellence to place love via emotional spark.
H12. 
Expectation congruence moderates the effect of service excellence to place love via flow.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Data Collection and Sample

This study collected on-site samples from Chinese tourists visiting Korea. China is rated Korea’s number one inbound tourism market, with nearly half of the total inbound tourists being Chinese. Prior to the full-scale survey, a rigorous pilot study (N = 52) was conducted at one of the target sites to test the clarity, reliability, and cultural appropriateness of the adapted questionnaire. Following cross-cultural scale adaptation guidelines (Beaton et al., 2000), the pilot phase included cognitive interviews with Chinese tourists to identify comprehension issues and cultural nuances in the interpretation of items. Feedback revealed that certain items required rewording from phrases to complete sentences to enhance semantic clarity and emotional resonance in Mandarin. Based on pilot results, the questionnaire was refined to ensure cultural and linguistic equivalence while maintaining theoretical fidelity to the original constructs.
Given the potential impact of Chinese tourists on Korea’s economy, destination marketers in Korea need to identify the preferences of Chinese tourists for tourism destination attributes and understand how these preferences develop in order to position their marketing strategies more advantageously. Beyond their economic significance, focusing on Chinese tourists aligns with South Korea’s strategic tourism goals. Korea actively targets the Chinese tourism market, aiming to enhance satisfaction, repeat visitation, and positive word-of-mouth among these tourists to maintain its competitive position in Northeast Asia. On-site data collection minimizes recall bias and provides a holistic view of tourism experiences. Additionally, the study considers situational dependence by conducting on-site surveys at three different tourist sites in Korea. Surveys were conducted at three different popular tourist sites to account for situational variations. This study was reviewed and approved as exempt by the Ohio University Office of Research Compliance under approval number 16-E-146. Ethical standards were maintained in accordance with institutional guidelines for research involving human subjects.
Specifically, three of the most popular Korean tourist destinations among Chinese tourists were selected: Nami Island in Gangwon Province, Myeongdong shopping district in Seoul, and Dongdaemun shopping district in Seoul. Following recommendations by Hair et al. (2019) and Viglia and Dolnicar (2020), approximately 150 valid questionnaires were collected at each research site, providing sufficient statistical power for multivariate analyses such as structural equation modeling (minimum N≈150 per group). Stratified on-site sampling was employed to capture respondents across different demographic groups (e.g., age, gender, travel purpose), thereby enhancing representativeness. Data were collected on-site immediately following their tourism experiences. Collecting on-site responses allowed participants to reflect on their experiences while they were still fresh in memory, minimizing recall bias and enhancing the ecological validity of the findings. Of the 500 distributed questionnaires, 428 were complete and usable for data analysis, resulting in an 85.6% response rate. This method provides an accurate, contextual understanding of tourists’ experiences and emotions, strengthening the validity of the findings.

3.2. Survey Instrument

The study’s research questionnaire incorporated variables such as service excellence, expectation congruence, fun, and place love constructs, as well as socio-demographic and trip-related characteristics. The survey instrument was based on scales from existing literature, ensuring both validity and reliability. To evaluate tourists’ perceptions of fun after their visit, a fun scale developed by Tasci and Ko (2015) was employed, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. The original Fun Scale was developed with Western respondents using English-language data; thus, cross-cultural adaptation was essential for application with Chinese tourists. During the pilot study, cognitive interviews and expert reviews revealed that direct translation of phrase-based items resulted in ambiguity and reduced emotional salience in Mandarin. Consequently, items were systematically reworded into complete sentences to improve comprehension, maintain semantic equivalence, and enhance respondents’ ability to reflect on their emotional experiences. For example, the phrase “energizing” was reworded to the complete sentence “Experiencing this place made me feel energized” to provide clearer contextual framing. This adaptation process followed established protocols for cross-cultural scale development (Beaton et al., 2000; Brislin, 1970), balancing fidelity to the original construct definitions with cultural and linguistic appropriateness.
The fun scale was measured using four constructs: social vigor, psychological zest, emotional spark, and flow. The expectation congruence measure was adopted from one used by Kang et al. (2010). Items for service excellence were adopted from Mathwick et al. (2001). This study adapted the concept of place love from Carroll and Ahuvia’s (2006) brand love framework, as places, like brands, can evoke solid emotional bonds (Swanson, 2015). This comprehensive measurement approach enhances the accuracy of the relationships among service excellence, expectation congruence, fun, and place love, ultimately providing valuable insights for improving the overall tourist experience.

3.3. Socio-Demographic and Trip Characteristics Information

Of the respondents, 75.5% were female, while the remaining 24.5% were male. The age range of the respondents was between 8 and 64 years, with the highest proportion of respondents (39.8%) falling within the 18- to 24-year age group. Most respondents (85.4%) were either college-educated or held higher degrees than a university degree. Furthermore, 57.4% of the respondents were single, and 40.9% were married. More than half of the respondents (52.7%) were employed full-time. Most of the respondents (77.2%) traveled for leisure purposes. Moreover, 72.5% of the respondents reported that they were first-time visitors to the tourism site. Among those who had previously visited the site, their total visit numbers ranged from 2 to 12 visits. Additionally, 30.8% of the respondents had prior knowledge about the place they were visiting.

4. Results

4.1. Face and Content Validity

To ensure the face validity of the questionnaire used in this study, professionals working in the tourism industry were invited to review it. Their feedback was used to determine whether the questionnaire was ethical and whether it would comprehensively measure the variables of interest. Additionally, two professors specializing in tourism were asked to comment on the questionnaire to ensure content validity.
The survey questionnaire was initially developed in English and then translated into Chinese with the help of Chinese tourism scholars. It was later translated back into English by bilingual Chinese individuals, as recommended by Sin et al. (1999). This process was crucial in identifying and correcting any ambiguities in the questionnaire, thus improving its validity and clarity. Comments from respondents and experts during the face and content validity procedures were considered, and revisions were made to the questionnaire. After finalizing the survey questionnaire, it was made available to the respondents.

4.2. Construct Validity

To validate the measurement model, examine the relationships between observed variables and latent constructs, and confirm the reliability and validity of the constructs, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed following the method of Anderson and Gerbing (1988).
The original fun scale, developed by Tasci and Ko (2015), contained 12 items: three items on Social vigor, four on Psychological zest, three on Emotional spark, and two on Flow. In this study, the questionnaire was initially expanded to 15 items, with some new and reworded questions based on feedback received during the face and content validity process. However, after a scale modification process, the final CFA item for construct validity consisted of 12 items, with three for Social Vigor, two for Psychological Zest, three for Emotional Spark, and four for flow.
During the CFA procedure, one indicator for Social Vigor had to be dropped due to a low loading, while two indicators for Psychological Zest were dropped due to poor loading. All observed indicators from the original Fun Scale in the latent construct of Emotional Spark were retained. For flow, the observed indicator “Helps me forget about time and place” was divided into two separate attributes, and another indicator, “My visit to this place helped me forget about my social status,” was added to the scale.
The goodness-of-fit statistics of the CFA were as follows. The results of the measurement model for the fun construct showed a relatively good fit (X2 = 118.77, d.f. = 46, normed X2 = 2.58, p < 0.000; RMSEA = 0.06; GFI = 0.96; IFI = 0.98; and CFI = 0.98). The CFA results for the measurement model showed a relatively good fit with high reliability and convergent validity for all four constructs. The composite reliability (CR) for Emotional Spark was 0.89, Social Vigor was 0.83, Psychological Zest was 0.81, and flow was 0.88. The standardized loadings for all latent constructs in the CFA were high and significant, ranging from 0.73 to 0.91, indicating that the criteria for reliability and convergent validity were met.
The average variance extracted (AVE) for each construct exceeded the minimum criterion of 0.50. Emotional spark had an AVE of 0.72, Social Vigor had an AVE of 0.62, Psychological Zest had an AVE of 0.69, and flow had an AVE of 0.65, indicating convergent validity. The criterion for discriminant validity was also met, with the lowest AVE among the four constructs exceeding the highest square of the estimated correlation. A summary of the CFA findings is presented in Table 1.

4.3. Predictive Validity

A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted to examine the proposed structure model’s predictive validity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) provides a comprehensive analytical framework that integrates measurement and structural models, allowing simultaneous estimation of relationships among observed and latent variables (Kline, 2023). Unlike software-specific approaches such as AMOS or SmartPLS, SEM as a methodological framework offers flexibility to select the most appropriate estimation technique based on the data characteristics and research objectives. SEM enables robust hypothesis testing, assessment of overall model fit (e.g., CFI, TLI, RMSEA), and examination of both direct and indirect effects, thereby providing a rigorous basis for validating the proposed theoretical relationships among constructs (Byrne, 2016; Hair et al., 2022; Kline, 2023). Following the method of Anderson and Gerbing (1988), the data were analyzed in two steps.

4.3.1. CFA

To establish the construct validity of the proposed measurement model, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using a total of 21 items, consisting of Service Excellence (3 items), Social Vigor (3 items), Psychological Zest (2 items), Emotional Spark (3 items), Flow (4 items), and Place Love (6 items). The final item configuration resulted from a systematic scale refinement process. The original Fun Scale (Tasci & Ko, 2015) contained 12 items, which was initially expanded to 15 items based on pilot study feedback. Following CFA procedures and applying established psychometric criteria (Hair et al., 2019), items were systematically evaluated based on factor loadings, modification indices, and theoretical coherence. One Social Vigor item was removed due to low loading, while two Psychological Zest items were dropped due to poor loading performance. Item deletion decisions followed standard CFA refinement procedures, prioritizing both statistical fit and construct integrity. The retained two-item Psychological Zest measure captures the core conceptual essence of vitality and energy, “enjoyable” and “excitement,” consistent with established subjective vitality constructs (Ryan & Frederick, 1997). For the Flow dimension, one original indicator (“Helps me forget about time and place”) was split into two distinct items to separately capture temporal and spatial immersion, and an additional culturally relevant item (“helped me forget about my social status”) was added based on pilot feedback indicating its importance in the Chinese collectivist context. All Emotional Spark items from the original scale were retained due to strong psychometric performance.
The goodness-of-fit statistics of the CFA indicated a good fit (X2 = 319.97, d.f. = 168, normed X2 = 1.91, p < 0.000; RMSEA = 0.046; GFI = 0.94; NFI = 0.94; IFI = 0.97; and CFI = 0.97). The composite reliability values for each construct were all greater than 0.70, ranging from 0.78 to 0.89, indicating high reliability (Service Excellence = 0.78; Social Vigor = 0.83; Psychological Zest = 0.81; Emotional Spark = 0.89; Flow = 0.88; and Place Love = 0.88). All standardized loadings for the latent constructs in the CFA were high and significant, ranging from 0.65 to 0.90, indicating that the criteria for both reliability and convergent validity were met. The average variance extracted (AVE) for each construct exceeded the minimum criterion of 0.50, confirming convergent validity (Service Excellence = 0.55; Social Vigor = 0.62; Psychological Zest = 0.68; Emotional Spark = 0.72; Flow = 0.66; and Place Love = 0.52).
The criterion for discriminant validity was also met, with the lowest AVE among the seven constructs exceeding the highest square of the estimated correlation. A summary of the findings of the CFA is presented in Table 1. Despite the reduction to two items for Psychological Zest, the construct demonstrates robust psychometric properties (CR = 0.81, AVE = 0.68, factor loadings = 0.81 and 0.85), meeting established criteria for two-item measures in structural equation modeling (Landis et al., 2000; Hair et al., 2019). Two-item constructs are acceptable when items are highly correlated, exhibit strong factor loadings, and demonstrate conceptual coherence (Worthington & Whittaker, 2006). Overall, the results of the CFA indicated that the proposed measurement model had good construct validity, with satisfactory model fit, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity for each of the constructs.

4.3.2. SEM

SEM was used to examine the proposed relationships among the variables analyzed in this study: Stimulus (Service Excellence), Organism (Fun), and Response (Place Love). The goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that the structural model provided an adequate fit to the data (X2 = 550.894, df = 176, normed X2 = 3.130, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.07; IFI = 0.93; GFI = 0.89; CFI = 0.93).
Eight relationships were tested, and seven were found to be positively significant at p < 0.01, while one was not significant. Specifically, Service excellence had a statistically significant positive effect on all the Fun dimensions, indicating that service excellence is a crucial stimulus for social vigor, psychological zest, emotional spark, and flow. Moreover, Fun demonstrated a strong and significant relationship with Place Love, with all four Fun constructs (social vigor, emotional spark, psychological zest, and flow) having a statistically significant positive effect on place love.
In summary, the results indicate that Service excellence is an important stimulus for all Fun dimensions, and Fun acts as an organism. Additionally, the four dimensions of Fun (i.e., Social vigor, Emotional spark, Psychological zest, Flow) are important in influencing Place Love as a response to fun. Table 2 shows the results of the structural model.

4.3.3. The Moderating Effect of Expectation Congruence

A moderated mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro v40 in SPSS 26.0 to test the theoretical model. The analysis included mean composite scores for each construct. The study examined the relationship between service excellence and the four dimensions of fun, with expectation congruence considered as the moderator. Each dimension of fun was treated as a mediator for the relationship between service excellence and place love.
The analysis combined mediation and moderation to estimate the conditional indirect effect of service excellence on place love through fun, moderated by expectation congruence. This was achieved using Model 7 by Hayes (2022). To evaluate the statistical significance of the direct and indirect effects, 10,000 bootstrapped samples were used, which provided bias-corrected confidence intervals (CI: 95%) with heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors.
The study supported hypothesis H9, finding that expectation congruence significantly and positively moderated the effect of service excellence on flow (interaction effect = 0.13; p = 0.037). This means that the relationship between service excellence and place love via flow was stronger when tourists felt that the place was congruent with their expectations (Effect high = 0.463 vs. Effect low = 0.242). Similarly, the study supported hypothesis H10, showing that expectation congruence positively moderated the effect of service excellence on emotional spark (interaction effect = 0.14; p = 0.025). This means that the relationship between service excellence and place love via emotional spark was stronger when tourists felt that the place was congruent with their expectations (Effect high = 0.591 vs. Effect low = 0.361). However, the study found no significant result for hypotheses H11 and H12. Expectation congruence was not a moderator for social vigor (interaction effect = 0.03; p = 0.608) or psychological zest (interaction effect = 0.004; p = 0.950).
Furthermore, the study found a significant direct effect of service excellence on place love (effect = 0.120; p = 0.006). Overall, these results suggest that fun partially mediates the relationship between service excellence and place love, and that expectation congruence moderates the relationships between service excellence and flow, as well as emotional spark.
The results suggest that for tourists who find the place congruent with their expectations, particularly those who experience flow and emotional spark, a slight increase in service excellence will lead to stronger place love compared to those who find the place to be incongruent with their expectations. These findings have practical implications for tourism businesses to improve service excellence, enhance fun experiences, and align visitors’ expectations with their offerings. The results of the PROCESS macro are illustrated in Figure 1 and summarized in Table 3.

5. Discussion

This study examines the relationships among service excellence, fun, and place attachment in the context of tourism, as well as the moderating role of expectation congruence. The primary objective was to explore the mediating role of fun between service excellence and place love and examine how expectation congruence moderates the mediating effect between service excellence and fun. By integrating these findings with existing literature, this study enriches the understanding of fun as a distinct emotional component within tourism. It highlights the crucial role of service excellence in shaping positive tourist experiences.
Service excellence has a significant and positive influence on all dimensions of fun, indicating that service excellence is a crucial stimulus for tourists to experience enjoyment at a destination. This result is supported by previous studies that have proposed fun as a theoretically meaningful outcome (Choi & Choi, 2019). Moreover, four dimensions of fun—social vigor, emotional spark, psychological zest, and flow—significantly and positively affected place love, suggesting that each dimension contributes directly to the level of attachment tourists develop towards a destination. This aligns with findings that conceptualize fun as encapsulating the hedonic value of an experience. Notably, while all four dimensions demonstrated significant positive effects, the magnitude of influence varies across dimensions. Emotional spark exhibits a comparatively modest effect on place love, whereas social vigor, flow, and psychological zest demonstrate stronger influences. This pattern warrants theoretical interpretation.
Drawing on peak-end theory (Kahneman et al., 1993) and memory consolidation research (Talarico et al., 2004), we propose that emotional spark’s modest effect reflects its episodic, transitory nature. Emotional spark represents intense, momentary peak experiences that create vivid memories but may not translate as strongly into enduring attachment compared to sustained experiential states. Flow, characterized by prolonged immersion and temporal distortion, provides continuous positive reinforcement that facilitates deeper emotional bonding with a destination. Similarly, social vigor and psychological zest represent more extended experiential qualities that accumulate over the course of a visit, building a foundation for lasting attachment. Cultural factors may further explain this pattern. Cross-cultural emotion research (Tsai, 2007; Kitayama et al., 2006) suggests that East Asian individuals tend to value low-arousal positive emotions (calm, peaceful) over high-arousal emotions (excitement, enthusiasm) in forming enduring relationships. Chinese tourists may therefore prioritize harmonious, sustained experiences (flow, social connections) over discrete emotional peaks when developing place love.
Regarding the non-significant moderating effects on social vigor and psychological zest, we offer a theoretically grounded interpretation rooted in appraisal theory (Smith & Ellsworth, 1985) and the differential nature of fun dimensions. Rather than reflecting measurement limitations, these non-significant effects suggest that social vigor and psychological zest represent more stable, baseline experiential qualities that are less contingent on expectation-service alignment compared to flow and emotional spark. Social vigor, characterized by interpersonal interactions and social connections, may be primarily influenced by travel companions and social dynamics rather than the congruence between expected and perceived service excellence. Similarly, psychological zest (encompassing vitality and energy) may represent a relatively robust trait-like quality that tourists experience consistently across varying levels of expectation congruence (Ryan & Frederick, 1997). In contrast, flow and emotional spark represent peak, immersive experiential states that are inherently more sensitive to whether service delivery aligns with tourists’ expectations. Contextually, cultural factors may also play a role: Chinese tourists in group travel contexts may take social aspects for granted, prioritizing tangible, immersive experiences over interpersonal dimensions when evaluating destination quality.
The study found that expectation congruence significantly moderated the effect of service excellence on flow and emotional spark, implying that the relationship between service excellence and place love through these dimensions of fun was stronger when tourists felt that the place was congruent with their expectations. This finding is consistent with a study by Maisam and Mahsa (2016), which found that once expectation congruence is established, it ultimately leads to brand love. However, expectation congruence did not moderate the relationship between service excellence and the other dimensions of fun (social vigor and psychological zest). This pattern suggests differential contingency relationships across fun dimensions: while flow and emotional spark are experience-dependent and enhanced by expectation alignment, social vigor and psychological zest may be influenced more powerfully by alternative moderators such as travel motivation, companion characteristics, or personality traits. Future research should investigate these alternative moderating mechanisms to provide a more comprehensive understanding of when and how different fun dimensions contribute to place love.
By integrating these findings with previous literature, this study contributes to the understanding of fun as a distinct emotional component of tourism and emphasizes the role of service excellence in creating positive tourist experiences.

5.1. Theoretical Implications

This study extends the existing literature by situating fun within the S-O-R framework in tourism and exploring it as a multi-dimensional construct. Distinct from general positive emotions, fun is an organismic mediator that links service excellence (stimulus) to place love (response). This approach broadens theoretical perspectives on emotional engagement in tourism by examining how specific fun dimensions impact tourist behavior and place attachment.
The findings highlight the importance of service excellence as a stimulus, which directly influences all dimensions of fun, including social vigor, psychological zest, flow, and emotional spark. These dimensions of fun act as mediators between service excellence and place love, suggesting that providing excellent services to tourists can enhance their fun experience, ultimately fostering a sense of attachment and love for the destination. This has significant implications for tourism providers and destination marketers, underscoring the importance of delivering exceptional services to foster positive tourist experiences.
Aligned with the S-O-R framework, this study shows that specific fun dimensions contribute differently to attachment in tourism. Our findings indicate that tourists’ emotional responses to service excellence vary in impact, underscoring the need to identify which emotions are most influential in different contexts.
This study also has cross-cultural potential. Although focused on Chinese tourists in South Korea, our results suggest a multi-dimensional view of fun may apply across cultures. Future research could explore how cultural differences shape the influence of fun dimensions like social vigor and psychological zest on attachment.
Applying this framework to broader tourism contexts, such as urban or ecotourism, could offer valuable insights for destination marketers, helping tailor strategies to meet tourists’ diverse expectations and experiences.
Echoing existing studies, our findings align with prior research emphasizing fun’s role in enhancing emotional engagement and attachment in tourism (e.g., Choi & Choi, 2019; Chen et al., 2020). By identifying studies that align with or contrast our results, we show how our findings extend, refine, or challenge established research, situating this study within the broader field. For example, our results indicate that while fun significantly contributes to attachment, only specific dimensions, such as flow and psychological zest, appear essential in driving place love. This suggests that the emotional aspects influencing attachment may be more selective than previous literature might suggest.
Moreover, the results demonstrate that three dimensions of fun—social vigor, psychological zest, and flow—significantly contribute to place love. Surprisingly, the emotional spark does not significantly impact place love. We provide a theoretical rationale to address this non-significant finding, suggesting that while emotional spark contributes to the fun experience, it may not directly translate into attachment. Factors such as potential cultural nuances and the nature of the tourism context could account for this result. Further research is needed to explore this dimension and its potential influence on tourists’ attachment to a destination, which will deepen engagement with unexpected findings and enhance the theoretical implications of the study.
Another important finding of this study is the moderating role of expectation congruence in the relationship between service excellence and two dimensions of fun: flow and emotional spark. This suggests that when tourists’ expectations align with their actual experiences, the effect of service excellence on these dimensions of fun becomes more pronounced. This finding highlights the importance of managing tourists’ expectations to ensure their experiences are consistent with what they anticipate. This can enhance their perception of fun and their attachment to the destination.
By contributing to the S-O-R framework, this study further advances theoretical understanding by demonstrating how service excellence (stimulus) influences various fun dimensions (organism) and ultimately impacts place love (response). Examining fun as a distinct, multidimensional construct within this framework offers a nuanced understanding of emotional engagement and its implications for tourist behavior and attachment.
Overall, the study offers valuable insights for tourism practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, as it sheds light on the intricate relationships among service excellence, fun, and place attachment. By understanding these connections, stakeholders in the tourism industry can develop more effective strategies to enhance tourists’ experiences, boost their satisfaction, and ultimately foster long-term relationships with visitors that may lead to repeat visits and positive word-of-mouth. Additionally, the study’s findings emphasize the need for further research to explore other factors that may influence these relationships and investigate the generalizability of the results across different tourist contexts and destinations.

5.2. Practical Implications

Our findings offer valuable insights for tourism practitioners, which can be applied in various ways to enhance the tourist experience. By focusing on service excellence, destinations can enhance the enjoyable experiences of tourists, leading to stronger place attachment. For example, a hotel might implement a comprehensive staff training program that includes role-playing exercises and customer feedback loops, ensuring that guests feel both welcomed and valued. Additionally, resorts could introduce loyalty programs that reward repeat visits with personalized experiences. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning tourists’ expectations with the offerings provided by destinations. This may involve conducting market research to understand the preferences of target demographics and tailoring marketing strategies accordingly.
Tourism businesses should invest in staff training and development, as well as infrastructure and service quality, to enhance service excellence and foster positive emotional experiences, such as enjoyment and fun. For instance, a theme park might invest in interactive attractions and modern safety measures to ensure that guests enjoy a secure and memorable experience, while a guided tour operator could redesign itineraries based on pre-tour surveys to better match customer expectations.
Understanding the moderating role of expectation congruence can help tourism businesses better cater to tourists’ needs and preferences. However, practical challenges may arise, such as budget constraints, resistance to change from staff, or the difficulty of accurately capturing diverse tourist expectations. By identifying tourists’ expectations and addressing any gaps between these expectations and the experience, practitioners can enhance the enjoyment tourists experience, ultimately resulting in increased place attachment. For example, a tour operator could survey clients to identify their expectations for a guided tour and tailor the itinerary accordingly to meet those expectations better.
Destinations should focus on promoting the aspects of their offerings that align with tourists’ expectations, leading to enhanced expectation congruence and, subsequently, a stronger relationship between service excellence and fun. As our findings indicate, this is particularly relevant for the flow and emotional spark dimensions of fun. By promoting activities and experiences that facilitate flow and emotional spark, tourism businesses can create more memorable and enjoyable experiences for tourists. For example, a city might launch a marketing campaign highlighting its vibrant arts scene or unique culinary experiences, using immersive storytelling and virtual reality previews to attract tourists seeking an engaging cultural experience.

5.3. Study Limitations

Despite the valuable insights provided by this study, several limitations must be acknowledged. The study focused on tourists’ self-reported experiences of fun, which might be susceptible to social desirability and recall biases. Future studies employing alternative methods, such as direct observations or experimental designs, could mitigate these biases and strengthen the reliability of the findings. Future research could explore the proposed relationships in different settings to enhance the generalizability of the findings. The study was conducted in a specific context, and the findings might not be generalizable to other destinations or tourism sectors. Exploring these relationships in diverse settings would not only enhance generalizability but also refine our theoretical understanding.
The study’s cross-sectional design limits the ability to infer causal relationships between the variables. Longitudinal studies, by capturing evolving tourist experiences, could provide deeper insights into the causal links among service excellence, fun, and place attachment, thereby bolstering the practical relevance of the research. Additionally, the study did not consider other potential moderating factors that might influence the relationships between service excellence, fun, and place love. Incorporating these variables into future research could provide a more comprehensive framework and enhance both the theoretical and practical contributions of this work.
This study captures a single “snapshot” of tourists’ emotions and perceptions, as data were collected immediately after their experiences, just before departure. While this timing reflects tourists’ immediate reactions, perceptions of “fun” and other emotions may change with further reflection or distance from the experience. Collecting data only once may limit the ability to capture a more dynamic, evolving view of tourist satisfaction and attachment. Future research could adopt a longitudinal design, collecting data at multiple intervals to observe how these emotional responses evolve. Such an approach would provide a fuller understanding of the lasting impact of “fun” and other emotions on long-term destination loyalty and behavioral intentions. Specifically, longitudinal investigation would reveal whether the differential effects observed across fun dimensions (e.g., emotional spark’s modest effect versus flow’s stronger effect) persist, amplify, or diminish over time as memories consolidate and emotional attachments deepen. This temporal perspective would enhance our understanding of which fun dimensions contribute to immediate satisfaction versus enduring place love.
This study’s focus on Chinese tourists provides consistency but may limit the generalizability of findings across cultural groups. Comparative studies across different cultural contexts would not only validate these findings but also enrich the theoretical discourse on fun and place love in tourism. Additionally, the cross-cultural adaptation of the Fun Scale, while methodologically rigorous, resulted in item modifications including the reduction in Psychological Zest to two items. Although the retained items demonstrate strong psychometric properties and capture the core conceptual essence of the construct, future research should develop and validate a comprehensive, culturally adapted Fun Scale specifically designed for East Asian tourism contexts. Such development could incorporate emic (culture-specific) dimensions of hedonic experience that may not be fully captured by Western-origin instruments, thereby enhancing both measurement precision and theoretical insights into how fun operates across diverse cultural settings.
Despite these limitations, the study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the role of fun in the relationship between service excellence and place love, as well as the moderating effect of expectation congruence. The findings offer practical implications for destination marketers and tourism businesses to enhance service excellence, create enjoyable tourist experiences, and cultivate a solid attachment to the destination.

Author Contributions

H.C.: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing—original draft, Writing—review and editing. H.C.C.: Conceptualization, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing—original draft, Writing—review and editing. L.J.L.: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing—original draft, Writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Ethical review and approval were waived for this study due to receiving an exemption from Ohio University Office of Research Compliance.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The dataset used in this study is openly available in Zenodo at http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17626528.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Tourismhosp 06 00246 g001
Figure 1. Moderated Mediation Model Results (Note: *** p < 0.01, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, ns: not significant).
Figure 1. Moderated Mediation Model Results (Note: *** p < 0.01, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, ns: not significant).
Tourismhosp 06 00246 g001
Table 1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) Results.
Table 1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) Results.
Factor (Cronbach’s α)Standardized Loadingt-StatisticConstruct ReliabilityAVE
Stimulus—Service Excellence (0.766) 0.7820.549
When I thought of this place, I thought of excellence.0.672
I thought this place provided expert service.0.88313.503
The service in this place was attentive.0.64511.489
Organism—Fun
Social vigor (0.824) 0.8270.615
This place offered me surprising experiences.0.737
Experiencing this place made me feel energized.0.82015.867
This place made me feel social.0.79415.425
Psychological zest (0.812) 0.8120.684
My visit to this place made me enjoyable.0.808
My visit to this place gave me excitement.0.84616.769
Emotion spark (0.865) 0.8870.724
My visit to this place provided emotional peaks.0.877
My visit to this place made me feel emotionally involved.0.83219.732
My visit to this place made me feel emotionally charged.0.84418.031
Flow (0.887) 0.8830.655
My visit to this place made me forget about my daily routine.0.735
My visit to this place helped me forget about time.0.72817.625
My visit to this place helped me forget about my social status.0.90218.130
My visit to this place helped me forget about other places.0.85917.421
Response—Place Love (0.876) 0.8680.524
This place was wonderful.0.761
This place made me feel good.0.71417.394
This place was awesome.0.79015.384
I loved this place.0.70714.173
I was passionate about this place.0.66712.816
I was attached to this place.0.69813.470
Expectation congruence (0.867) 0.9190.791
The place’s reputation was well matched.0.905
This place’s image was well matched.0.92318.324
This place’s location was well placed.0.83817.325
Table 2. Structural Equation Model (SEM) Results.
Table 2. Structural Equation Model (SEM) Results.
PathStandardized Estimatet-StatisticResults
Social vigor ← Service excellence0.5611.60 ***Supported (+)
Psychological zest ← Service excellence0.4610.27 ***Supported (+)
Emotional Spark ← Service excellence0.6612.21 ***Supported (+)
Flow ← Service excellence0.5810.82 ***Supported (+)
Place love ← Social vigor0.204.32 ***Supported (+)
Place love ← Psychological zest0.142.61 ***Supported (+)
Place love ← Emotional Spark0.102.11 *Supported (+)
Place love ← Flow0.184.06 ***Supported (+)
Note: *** p < 0.001, * p < 0.05.
Table 3. Moderated Mediation from Service Excellence to Place Love Results.
Table 3. Moderated Mediation from Service Excellence to Place Love Results.
X = Service Excellence Bias-Corrected Bootstrap 95% CI
Mediator (M)Moderator (W)Indirect EffectBoot SELLUL
FlowEC Low0.0430.0180.0140.082
EC High0.0820.0240.0400.131
Emotional SparkEC Low0.0360.0190.0010.077
EC High0.0590.0280.0030.111
Social VigorEC Low0.0820.0240.0400.135
EC High0.0720.0230.0320.120
Psychological ZestEC Low0.0450.0180.0110.082
EC High0.0440.0190.0100.082
Note: EC = Expectation Congruence; LL = Lower Level; UL = Upper Level.
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Choi, H.; Choi, H.C.; Liang, L.J. The Fun Factor: Unlocking Place Love Through Exceptional Tourist Experiences. Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6, 246. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6050246

AMA Style

Choi H, Choi HC, Liang LJ. The Fun Factor: Unlocking Place Love Through Exceptional Tourist Experiences. Tourism and Hospitality. 2025; 6(5):246. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6050246

Chicago/Turabian Style

Choi, Hyeyoon, Hwansuk Chris Choi, and Lena Jingen Liang. 2025. "The Fun Factor: Unlocking Place Love Through Exceptional Tourist Experiences" Tourism and Hospitality 6, no. 5: 246. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6050246

APA Style

Choi, H., Choi, H. C., & Liang, L. J. (2025). The Fun Factor: Unlocking Place Love Through Exceptional Tourist Experiences. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(5), 246. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6050246

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