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Tourism and Hospitality
Special Issues
Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality
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Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality

A special issue of Tourism and Hospitality (ISSN 2673-5768).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4266

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Susana Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CEOS.PP, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4465-004 São Mamede de Infesta, Portugal
2. CITUR, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
3. ESHT, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Interests: customer behaviour; guest behaviour; human resources management; internal marketing; communications; skills; sustainability
Dr. Cândida Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CITUR, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
2. ESHT, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Interests: technology and information systems; digital marketing; ICT for tourism; artificial intelligence; ICT for education; crowdsourcing innovation; digital skills; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mónica Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CITUR, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
2. ESHT, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Interests: hospitality management; revenue management; customer behavior; guest behavior; internal marketing; service quality; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Consumer behavior involves decisions, activities, ideas, or experiences that satisfy consumer needs and wants, and refers to all activities directly involved in obtaining, consuming, and disposing of products and services, including the decision processes that precede and follow these actions. In the hospitality and tourism sector, consumer behavior acts as the origin for every marketing activity; it offers an understanding of why people tend to choose certain products or services and what kinds of factors influence their decision-making. This Special Issue aims to promote conceptual and empirical research that advances, deepens, and expands our understanding of consumer behavior in the field of tourism and hospitality.

We invite potential authors to contribute to this debate by presenting their research on topics such as:

  • Theoretical and applied research on consumer behavior;
  • Methodological contributions to the research of behavior in tourism and hospitality;
  • Processes and behaviors related to tourist decision-making;
  • The psychological and social factors affecting tourist behavior;
  • Tourist evaluations of experiences;
  • Technologies, social media, and big data as applied to tourist behavior;
  • Different generations of tourists—behaviors, preferences, and attitudes;
  • Behavioral economics approaches to understanding tourists;
  • Trends in consumer behavior in tourism and hospitality;
  • Advertising and social media communication for tourists;
  • Tourist motivations;
  • Satisfaction, trust, and loyalty;
  • Group and joint decision-making;
  • Marketing services;
  • Internal marketing;
  • Sustainability management;
  • Technologies for emotion and sentiment analysis;
  • Artificial intelligence technologies for tourist behavior analysis;
  • Neuromarketing;
  • Brain–computer interface (BCI);
  • Neurotechnologies;
  • Sustainable development goals;
  • Circular economy.

Dr. Susana Silva
Dr. Cândida Silva
Dr. Mónica Oliveira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tourism and Hospitality is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • customer brand
  • customer engagement
  • social media communication
  • tourist behaviour
  • technology and consumer decision-making
  • service quality
  • loyalty
  • sustainability management
  • artificial intelligence
  • technology for emotion and sentiment analysis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1158 KB  
Article
More than Likes: A Mediation and Moderation Model of Consumer Brand Preference and Awareness Among Gen Z Coffee Shop Consumers in Saudi Arabia
by Ahmed Hassan Abdou
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040190 - 24 Sep 2025
Abstract
Background: In an increasingly digital marketplace, social media marketing activities (SMMAs) have become vital for building consumer–brand relationships, particularly among Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers. Coffee shops offer a unique context because they are lifestyle-oriented and highly dependent on repeat visits, making them [...] Read more.
Background: In an increasingly digital marketplace, social media marketing activities (SMMAs) have become vital for building consumer–brand relationships, particularly among Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers. Coffee shops offer a unique context because they are lifestyle-oriented and highly dependent on repeat visits, making them especially responsive to digital engagement. This study examines the impact of SMMAs on brand loyalty in the Saudi Arabian coffee shop sector, with a particular focus on the mediating role of consumer brand preference and the moderating role of brand awareness. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework and Generational Marketing Theory, the research explores how Gen Z consumers respond to social media efforts that are informative, interactive, trendy, and personalized. Methods: Data were collected using convenience sampling via an online survey of 412 Gen Z consumers in Saudi Arabia who follow at least one local or international coffee shop brand on social media. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized relationships, mediation, and moderation effects. Results: The findings revealed that SMMAs have a substantial direct effect on both brand loyalty and consumer brand preference. Moreover, consumer brand preference partially mediates the relationship between SMMAs and brand loyalty, underscoring its importance as a psychological mechanism in the formation of loyalty. Additionally, brand awareness was found to significantly moderate the SMMAs–brand loyalty relationship, with more potent effects observed among consumers with higher levels of brand familiarity. Implications: The study contributes theoretically by extending the S-O-R framework with Generational Marketing Theory, demonstrating the partial mediating role of brand preference and the moderating direct effect of brand awareness. Practically, the results suggest that coffee shop marketers should design social media strategies that are informative, interactive, trendy, and personalized while also investing in awareness-building campaigns to amplify loyalty among Gen Z consumers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality)
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25 pages, 942 KB  
Article
Visual eWOM and Brand Factors in Shaping Hotel Booking Decisions: A UK Hospitality Study
by WinnieSiewKoon Chu, Kim Piew Lai and Robert Jeyakumar Nathan
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040171 - 8 Sep 2025
Viewed by 590
Abstract
This study aims to bridge the research gap emerging from the relationships between Visual electronic Word-of-Mouth (VeWOM) and brand factors, and their impact on consumers’ behavior by exploring the causal effects of eWOM attributes on hotel brand factor spreading through Brand Awareness (BA) [...] Read more.
This study aims to bridge the research gap emerging from the relationships between Visual electronic Word-of-Mouth (VeWOM) and brand factors, and their impact on consumers’ behavior by exploring the causal effects of eWOM attributes on hotel brand factor spreading through Brand Awareness (BA) and Brand Perceived Value (BV) and its consequences on Purchase Decisions (PD) in the hospitality context. Attribution Theory was extended to incorporate brand-mediated effects and crisis-specific factors. The study investigates the impact of VeWOM on consumer Purchase Decisions (PD) in terms of hotel room bookings in the British hospitality market, emphasizing the mediating role of brand-related constructs. Drawing on Attribution Theory, the research proposes a structural model to assess both direct and indirect pathways through which VeWOM influences behavioral outcomes. A stratified, non-probability sampling approach yielded 443 valid responses from hotel bookers who engaged with user-generated visual content prior to booking. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings reveal that VeWOM significantly influences Brand Value (BV), eWOM Credibility, and Information Quality, which in turn shape consumer purchase behavior. Crucially, Brand Value emerges as a key mediating variable, bridging VeWOM and Purchase Decisions, while VeWOM alone does not directly affect booking behavior. Moreover, Brand Awareness showed no significant mediating effect. The study underscores the indirect attribution process in visual review contexts, demonstrating that the influence of VeWOM is channeled primarily through brand perception mechanisms rather than direct persuasion. These insights extend Attribution Theory by highlighting the distinct cognitive pathways activated by visual content compared to text-based reviews. Practically, the research suggests that hoteliers should focus on enhancing Brand Value via bundled offerings and relationship-based marketing rather than relying solely on visual appeal or awareness to drive bookings. The study contributes to the growing body of VeWOM literature by clarifying its nuanced effects on decision-making in digital hospitality environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality)
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13 pages, 249 KB  
Article
The Quality of Hilton Hotel Services in the V4 Countries: The Impact of the Platform on Ratings and Customer Satisfaction
by Stela Kolesárová, Anna Šenková, Erika Kormaníková and Kristína Šambronská
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040169 - 5 Sep 2025
Viewed by 523
Abstract
(1) This study aims to quantify differences between platforms and countries by comparing Hilton’s ratings on Booking.com and Google.com in the V4 countries. (2) Data were collected directly from Booking.com and Google.com for selected Hilton hotels. Descriptive statistics were used to process and [...] Read more.
(1) This study aims to quantify differences between platforms and countries by comparing Hilton’s ratings on Booking.com and Google.com in the V4 countries. (2) Data were collected directly from Booking.com and Google.com for selected Hilton hotels. Descriptive statistics were used to process and analyze the data, and a paired Student’s T-test was used to compare standard deviations between platforms. (3) The analysis showed that these differences can be applied not only to subjective preferences but also to sociotechnical devices, including cultural platforms and their associated norms and user expectations. Additionally, factors such as price, food quality, and atmosphere were shown to influence overall guest satisfaction, with ratings approximately indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction. (4) From a practical perspective, these insights can help hotel managers optimize their online communication strategy, tailor content to different platforms, and manage their reputation more effectively. Overall, the findings highlight that effectively managing online reviews is key to establishing trust, increasing satisfaction, and ensuring the long-term success of the Hilton brand in diverse sociocultural contexts. Future research should focus on sociotechnical aspects and the impact of seasonal or marketing campaigns on reviews to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of online reviews in the hospitality industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality)
28 pages, 1012 KB  
Article
Personalisation and Predictive Marketing in a Croatian Tourist Destination: Behavioural Strategies for Enhancing the Tourist Experience
by Željka Zavišić, Mladen Pancić and Hrvoje Serdarušić
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040167 - 4 Sep 2025
Viewed by 587
Abstract
This paper explores the role of personalisation and predictive marketing in Croatian tourism and analyses how behavioural strategies can enhance the tourist experience and increase visitor loyalty. In today’s competitive tourism market, personalised marketing strategies have become a key factor in attracting and [...] Read more.
This paper explores the role of personalisation and predictive marketing in Croatian tourism and analyses how behavioural strategies can enhance the tourist experience and increase visitor loyalty. In today’s competitive tourism market, personalised marketing strategies have become a key factor in attracting and retaining tourists. Based on the theoretical framework and previous research, hypotheses were formulated on various aspects of behavioural marketing, such as the impact of personalisation on destination choice, the perception of marketing effectiveness by different demographic groups and the correlation between tourists’ satisfaction and their willingness to revisit a destination. The aim of this study was to test six hypotheses relating to the personalisation of marketing messages, demographic factors and their correlation with tourists’ willingness to revisit the destination. Using a quantitative methodology, a survey was conducted among 415 tourists who had visited the Croatian city of Vodice. A total of 257 questionnaires were completed. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression models to identify the most important factors influencing tourists’ behaviour and preferences. The results show that personalised marketing messages have a positive impact on tourists’ decision to visit the destination. In addition, this study shows that demographic factors such as gender, age and education significantly influence the perception of marketing effectiveness. Tourists who received predictive marketing messages expressed higher satisfaction with their stay and showed a greater willingness to visit the destination again than those who did not receive personalised offers. These results underline the importance of integrating behavioural strategies into marketing activities to build tourist loyalty and improve the overall tourism experience. Based on the research findings, further application of these marketing approaches is recommended to increase competitiveness and attract more loyal tourists. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality)
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12 pages, 253 KB  
Article
Atmosphere, Service, and Flavor: Exploring Quality Dimensions of Farm-Raised Foods in Agritourism
by Jibin Baby and Dae-Young Kim
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040165 - 29 Aug 2025
Viewed by 579
Abstract
The integration of farm-raised foods plays a pivotal role in elevating the attractiveness and long-term sustainability of agritourism destinations. These locally sourced culinary offerings not only provide economic opportunities and environmental benefits but also enhance the authenticity of the visitor experience, contributing to [...] Read more.
The integration of farm-raised foods plays a pivotal role in elevating the attractiveness and long-term sustainability of agritourism destinations. These locally sourced culinary offerings not only provide economic opportunities and environmental benefits but also enhance the authenticity of the visitor experience, contributing to the vitality and resilience of rural communities. This study explores how three quality dimensions of farm-raised foods (atmospherics, service quality, food quality) shape visitors’ behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it examines the mediating role of visitors’ perceptions of farm-raised foods in this relationship. Drawing on data collected from 615 agritourism visitors using a quantitative approach and a structured survey instrument, the results indicate that all three quality dimensions significantly influence behavioral intentions, highlighting the importance of how the farm-raised foods are presented and interpreted. Furthermore, visitors’ perceptions of farm-raised foods significantly mediated the relationship between food quality and behavioral intentions. The findings underscore the need for agritourism operators to create immersive, high-quality food experiences that connect guests to local agriculture and culture. By emphasizing these dimensions, destination managers can enhance visitor satisfaction, build brand loyalty, and promote more sustainable rural tourism development. This research provides practical insights for strengthening agritourism strategies while supporting broader goals of sustainability and community enrichment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality)
31 pages, 1216 KB  
Article
Unveiling the Outcome of the Implementation of Experiential Value Co-Creation on the Behavioral Intention of Online Travelers
by Parlagutan Silitonga, Juliana Juliana, Gilang Puspita Rini and Anastasia Posmaria Setiasiwi Sitohang
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(3), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030157 - 21 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1077
Abstract
Augmented reality has hastened innovators to create things instantly. It has long been understood that the tourism industry is an industry of cultural exchange and visitation seeking experience, satisfaction, and pride. This study aims to increase behavior intention and delight mediating through experiential [...] Read more.
Augmented reality has hastened innovators to create things instantly. It has long been understood that the tourism industry is an industry of cultural exchange and visitation seeking experience, satisfaction, and pride. This study aims to increase behavior intention and delight mediating through experiential value co-creation using service-dominant logic theory. This study answers the focused research question by conducting surveys (n = 307) of members of Generation Y in Jakarta and Semarang city. The findings show that experiential value co-creation and delight directly and indirectly have a positively effect on behavior intention in virtual travel. This research offers a new concept, namely experiential value co-creation, to explain the connection between how tourists’ behavior in surfing the internet can influence their behavior intentions. This research certainly has managerial implications which are very useful for increasing behavioral intention, especially in the tourism sector. Tourist attraction managers must pay attention to content that discusses tourist destinations. Complete and accurate information is very useful in increasing the desire to visit tourist locations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Customer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality)
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