Tourists’ Goal-Directed Behaviors: The Influences of Goal Disclosure, Goal Commitment, and Temporal Distance

Abstract

Through the lenses of construal-level theory and goal-directed behavior theory, this study proposed and tested a conceptual model of tourists’ goal-directed behaviors. The proposed model depicted the impacts of tourism goal disclosure on tourists’ goal-directed behaviors through the mediation of goal commitment. The moderating role of temporal distance was also investigated. Two experimental studies were conducted to test hypotheses. Study 1 revealed that goal disclosure (vs. nondisclosure) on social media would enhance tourists’ commitment to tourism goals, which in turn would elicit more goal-directed behaviors. Study 2 further showed that the findings of study 1 are only applicable to the condition of short temporal distance. However, when it comes to the condition of long temporal distance, there is no significant difference in goal commitment and goal-directed behaviors regardless if the goal is disclosed or not. The findings of this study provided valuable theoretical and managerial implications.