Current leisure mobility patterns are not sustainable. Because energy efficiency measures appear insufficient to accommodate predicted future volume growth, changes in transportation modes and volume are needed. Short-haul should be the preferred distance, public transportation the preferred mode and length of stay should increase rather than trip frequency. However, tourists are unwilling to adopt these changes. This paper proposes a new conceptual "three-gear model" demonstrating how happiness, travel motivations and perception of distance set barriers for desirable behavioral change. The model improves understanding of the gap between awareness of, and attitudes to, tourism mobility and the gap between environmentally friendly everyday behaviors and unsustainable vacation behaviors. The paper shows that happiness is integral to all stages of the tourist experience. Understanding happiness enhances the understanding of tourist behavior, and how it drives, via the speed-distance-demand loop, the three-stage model presented here. Key practical implications include the need for effective policies to break the speed-distance-demand loop, changes to transport infrastructure policies, and recognition of the role of happiness in sustainable tourism strategies. Theoretical contributions include a synthesis of theories to interrogate key behavioral gaps and a theoretical basis for future empirical studies.
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This chapter discusses if and how experiencing tourism contributes to tourists’ happiness. First, we discuss the different conceptualizations of experience and happiness. In doing so, we also acknowledge current assumptions that exist in tourism studies, specifically regarding the interpretation of concepts. Consequently, we create a framework that functions as a conceptual model, which allows us to map different conceptual approaches to experience and happiness. Next, we map and discuss the 2018 studies on the tourist experience of happiness as published in the three leading tourism journals. We find that many happiness research areas are well-studied and conceptualized. We conclude that studies on locals’ happiness are still scarce, and we observe that a lack of clarity and consistency in the differences between meaning in life versus meaning of life exists. Consequently, we suggest that researchers should focus more on local’s happiness and to use theory-driven approaches to the conceptualization of meaning.
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Vacation travel is an essential ingredient in quality of life. However, the contribution of vacations to quality of life could be improved in two ways: by optimizing the decisions people make when planning and undertaking their vacations, and by travel industry testing and implementing––based on evidence from the experience lab––innovative experience products which touch customers' emotions.
