Atmospherics on tour operators’ websites: Website features that stimulate emotional response

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify atmospherics, i.e. website features that stimulate emotional response, on tour operators’ websites. The discussion about website quality has been biased towards the functional, utility dimensions, although the importance of the emotional aspects has been recognized in previous studies. This article advances the discussion about website quality by proposing a model which links atmospherics to emotional response. An interview guide based on the PAD-structure of Mehrabian and Russell is used in this exploratory study. The taxonomy of atmospherics identified is complex and very much individual. The two most important atmospherics are pictures, and information content and structure. The results also indicate that the mere act of visiting a tour operator’s website, and getting involved in the decision making process, stimulates emotional responses. A new Atmospheric-Response model is presented.