Impressions Evoked by Photographic Presentations of Hot-Spring Hotels in Prospective Japanese Tourists

Abstract

Hot springs are a major attraction for domestic tourists in Japan. Evoking a favorable impression of the experience during the information-gathering stage of travel is important in order to attract prospective tourists. Previous findings have suggested that the photographic presentation of a hot-spring hotel can serve as a medium for hotel managers to attract prospective tourists. In the current online questionnaire study, five hundred and eighteen prospective Japanese tourists were asked to rate their affective reactions, cognitive evaluations, behavioral intentions, and willingness to pay (WTP) for two sets of photographic images representing two hot-spring hotels in Japan with traditional and contemporary designs, respectively. The empirical results suggest that the photographic images reflecting a traditional design generated higher affective reactions, cognitive evaluations, behavioral intentions, and WTP. The findings extend the current knowledge on consumers’ perceptions and behavioral intentions and provide practical implications for hotel managers to promote their services and products.