The Role of Demographics and Previous Experience in Tourists’ Experiential Perceptions

Abstract

Tourism experiences are personal events characterized by their subjective nature. Because of this, each consumer has his or her way of perceiving the experience depending on their individual characteristics. The literature suggests that demographic and prior experience variables are factors that may influence tourists’ perceptions. While some studies have examined the influence of these factors on marketing variables, more information is still needed to help predict tourists’ behavior and to understand how they interpret experiences. This study explored whether experiential quality, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions differ according to individuals’ demographic characteristics and previous experience. An online survey collected data from 367 tourists participating in tourism experiences. A t-test for independent samples and a Kruskal–Wallis test were used for the analysis. The results showed that the main differences were between gender groups (males and females).