The Impact of Socio-Demographic Factors on Tourism Experience: The Role of Sense of Place, Memorability, and Authenticity

Vieriu, A.-M., Daus (Ogoreanu), I., Șchiopu, A. F., & Pădurean, A. M. (2025). The Impact of Socio-Demographic Factors on Tourism Experience: The Role of Sense of Place, Memorability, and Authenticity. CACTUS Tourism Journal, 31 (1). doi.org/10.24818/EA/2022/59/46

Based on the official APA guide. Review the full set of examples.

Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

Tourists’ satisfaction and post-travel experiences are impacted by sense of place, memorability and authenticity. These concepts have been thoroughly studied, but not from a socio-demographic perspective. The present study contributes to the growing literature regarding sense of place, memorability, authenticity and destination satisfaction in the context of socio-demographics (age, income, and gender). This paper employed a survey using a sample of 648 respondents. Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and Linear Regression were applied. Findings show that sense of place varies according to age, with younger people more prone to develop ties with visited place. Memorability differs according to income and gender, where women tend to have a more memorable tourism experience. Authenticity differs according to gender and income, with women and high-income groups reporting higher authenticity; lastly, destination satisfaction variations were present across gender and income groups. In addition, regression results showed that sense of place, memorability and authenticity have a positive influence on tourist destination satisfaction. These findings contribute to travel experiences studies by integrating a socio-demographic context into destination satisfaction.

Keywords

sense of place, memorability, authenticity, destination satisfaction, socio-demographics

JEL Classification

Z30, C10

References

Abou-Shouk, M. A., Zoair, N., El-Barbary, M. N., & Hewedi, M. M. (2018). Sense of place relationship with tourist satisfaction and intentional revisit: Evidence from Egypt. International Journal of Tourism Research, 20(2), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2170

Adams, D., Donovan, J., & Topple, C. (2021). Achieving sustainability in food manufacturing operations and their supply chains: Key insights from a systematic literature review. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 28, 1491–1502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.08.019

Agyekum, B., & Newbold, K. B. (2019). Sense of place and mental wellness amongst African immigrants in Canada. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 12(2), 188–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2018.1552885

Ahn, Y. H., & Pearce, A. R. (2013). Green luxury: A case study of two green hotels. Journal of Green Building, 8(1), 90–119. https://doi.org/10.3992/jgb.8.1.90

Ahn, Y., & Janke, M. C. (2011). Motivations and benefits of the travel experiences of older adults. Educational Gerontology, 37(8), 653–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601271003716010

Ali, F., Ryu, K., & Hussain, K. (2016). Influence of experiences on memories, satisfaction and behavioral intentions: A study of creative tourism. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 33(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2015.1038418

Allied Market Research. (2024). MICE industry, by type (meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition): Opportunity analysis and industry forecast, 2023–2032. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/MICE-industry-market

Althubiti, K., Alhamadani, A., Khan, M., & Shah, M. G. H. (2025). Unveiling negative memorable experiences of hotel guests: An innovative algorithmic analysis. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 126, 104087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104087

Amuquandoh, E. F., & Asafo-Adjei, R. (2013). Traditional food preferences of tourists in Ghana. British Food Journal, 115(7), 987–1002. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-11-2010-0197

Arcese, G., Flammini, S., Lucchetti, M., & Martucci, O. (2015). Evidence and experience of open sustainability innovation practices in the food sector. Sustainability, 7(7), 8067–8090. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7078067

Benita, F. (2023). Exploring non-mandatory travel behavior in Jakarta City: Travel time, trip frequency, and sociodemographic influences. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 21, 100896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100896

Bowdin, G., Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R., & McDonnell, I. (2011). Events management (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Brown, L. (2013). Tourism: A catalyst for existential authenticity. Annals of Tourism Research, 40, 176–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2012.08.004

Carmona, M. (2019). Place value: Place quality and its impact on health, social, economic and environmental outcomes. Journal of Urban Design, 24(1), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2018.1472523

Chai, Y., Na, J., Ma, T., & Tang, Y. (2022). The moderating role of authenticity between experience economy and memory? The evidence from Qiong Opera. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1070690. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070690

Chiappa, G. D., Napolitano, E., & Atzeni, M. (2022). Memorability, satisfaction, and intention to recommend to others: A segmentation-based study of winery visitors in Australia. In S. K. Dixit (Ed.), Routledge handbook of wine tourism. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003143628

Cole, S. T., & Scott, D. (2004). Examining the mediating role of experience quality in a model of tourist experiences. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 16(1), 79–90. https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v16n01_08

Coughlin, S. S. (1990). Recall bias in epidemiologic studies. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 43(1), 87–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(90)90060-3

Cox, H. G. (1968). The restoration of a sense of place: A theological reflection on the visual environment. Athens Center of Ekistics.

d’Orey, F., Cardoso, A., & Abreu, R. (2019). ‘Tourist’ sense of place, an assessment of the sense of place in tourism studies: The case of Portugal. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 18(1), 1–14.

Dahanayake, S., Wanninayake, B., & Ranasinghe, R. (2024). Demographics shaping memorable wellness tourism experiences: A comparative analysis. Tourism and Hospitality Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584241306368

Day, J. (2018). Challenges for sustainability in the MICE system. Events and Tourism Review, 1(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.18060/22833

Demetriou, C., Ozer, B. U., & Essau, C. A. (2015). Self-report questionnaires. In The encyclopedia of clinical psychology (pp. 1–6). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118625392.wbecp507

Deutsch, K., & Goulias, K. (2010). Exploring sense-of-place attitudes as indicators of travel behavior. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2157(1), 95–102. https://doi.org/10.3141/2157-12

Deutsch, K., Yoon, S. Y., & Goulias, K. (2013). Modeling travel behavior and sense of place using a structural equation model. Journal of Transport Geography, 28, 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2012.12.001

Duarte, P., Rodrigues, R. G., Sampaio, C., Manuel Hernández-Mogollón, J., Sofía Pasaco-González, B., María Campón-Cerro, A., Moreno-Lobato, A., & Sánchez-Vargas, E. (2023). The role of demographics and previous experience in tourists’ experiential perceptions. Sustainability, 15(4), 3768. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043768

FAOSTAT. (2021). Food wastage footprints. http://www.fao.org/nr/sustainability/food-loss-and-waste/en/

Fatima, T., & Elbanna, S. (2023). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation: A review and a research agenda towards an integrative framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 183(1), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05047-8

Genc, V., & Gulertekin Genc, S. (2023). The effect of perceived authenticity in cultural heritage sites on tourist satisfaction: The moderating role of aesthetic experience. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(2), 530–548. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-08-2021-0218

Global Sustainable Tourism Council. (2023). GSTC MICE criteria development report. https://www.gstcouncil.org/mice-criteria/

Gohary, A., Pourazizi, L., Madani, F., & Chan, E. Y. (2020). Examining Iranian tourists’ memorable experiences on destination satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(2), 131–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1560397

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Hieker, C., Gannon, G., Philips, E., & Majmudar, S. (2024). Motivations for ESG investment among leaders in the MICE industry. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 13(4), 71. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2024.v13n4p71

IBM Corp. (2019). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 26.0) [Computer software].

International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). (2023). ICCA rankings 2023 released. https://www.iccaworld.org/news/post/icca-rankings-2023-released/

Jain, D., & Tiwari, G. (2020). Gender and income based variability in travel choices in Vishakhapatnam, India. Transportation Research Procedia, 48, 2870–2890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2020.08.232

Jeong, E., & Jang, S. (2010). Effects of restaurant green practices: Which practices are important and effective? Caesars Hospitality Research Summit. http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/hhrc/2010/june2010/13/

Jorgensen, B. S., & Stedman, R. C. (2006). A comparative analysis of predictors of sense of place dimensions: Attachment to, dependence on, and identification with lakeshore properties. Journal of Environmental Management, 79(3), 316–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.08.003

Joshi, S., Sharma, M., & Singh, R. K. (2020). Performance evaluation of agro-tourism clusters using AHP–TOPSIS. Journal of Operations and Strategic Planning, 3(1), 7–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516600X20928646

Kahraman, O. C., & Cifci, I. (2023). Modeling self-identification, memorable tourism experience, overall satisfaction and destination loyalty: Empirical evidence from small island destinations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(2), 1001–1023. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-02-2022-0090

Kim, E. G., Chhabra, D., & Timothy, D. J. (2022). Towards a creative MICE tourism destination branding model: Integrating heritage tourism in New Orleans, USA. Sustainability, 14(24), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416411

Kim, J.-H., & Ritchie, J. R. B. (2014). Cross-cultural validation of a Memorable Tourism Experience Scale (MTES). Journal of Travel Research, 53(3), 323–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287513496468

Kim, J.-H., Badu-Baiden, F., Kim, S., Koseoglu, M. A., & Baah, N. G. (2023). Evolution of the memorable tourism experience and future research prospects. Journal of Travel Research, 63(6), 1315–1334. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875231206545

Kim, J.-H., Ritchie, J. R. B., & McCormick, B. (2012). Development of a scale to measure memorable tourism experiences. Journal of Travel Research, 51(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287510385467

LaMondia, J., & Fisher, M. (2024). Can we focus long-distance travel survey sampling? Analyzing travel behavior trends between and within demographic groups. Transportation Research Procedia, 76, 520–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2023.12.073

Lebrusán, I., & Gómez, M. V. (2022). The importance of place attachment in the understanding of ageing in place: “The Stones Know Me”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 17052. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417052

Lehto, X. Y., Jang, S., Achana, F. T., & O’Leary, J. T. (2008). Exploring tourism experience sought: A cohort comparison of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14(3), 237–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766708090585

Lewicka, M. (2011). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(3), 207–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001

Lin, Y. C. (2017). The willingness of heritage tourists to pay for perceived authenticity in Pingxi, Taiwan. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(10), 1044–1069. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2015.1123677

Lin, Y. C., & Liu, Y. C. (2018). Deconstructing the internal structure of perceived authenticity for heritage tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(12), 2134–2152. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1545022

Lozanski, K., & Baumgartner, K. (2020). Local gastronomy, transnational labour: Farm-to-table tourism and migrant agricultural workers in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. Tourism Geographies, 24(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1765014

Lu, C. Y., Wang, Y., & Suhartanto, D. (2024). Memory impressions in slow tourism: Intrapersonal and interpersonal authenticity as antecedents. International Journal of Tourism Research, 26(1), e2604. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2604

Lu, L., Chi, C. G., & Liu, Y. (2015). Authenticity, involvement, and image: Evaluating tourist experiences at historic districts. Tourism Management, 50, 85–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.01.026

MacCannell, D. (1973). Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings. American Journal of Sociology, 79(3), 589–603.

Mahmud, M., Dhameria, V., & Putra, F. I. F. S. (2024). Promise: The role of brand awareness between promotion, MICE intensity and tourists’ revisiting intention. Kurdish Studies, 12(1), 499–513. https://doi.org/10.58262/ks.v12i1.033

Masterson, V. A., Stedman, R. C., Enqvist, J., Tengö, M., Giusti, M., Wahl, D., & Svedin, U. (2017). The contribution of sense of place to social-ecological systems research: A review and research agenda. Ecology and Society, 22(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-08872-220149

Murmu, P., Kumar, M., Lal, D., Sonker, I., & Singh, S. K. (2019). Delineation of groundwater potential zones using geospatial techniques and Analytic hierarchy process in Dumka district, Jharkhand, India. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 9, 100239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2019.100239

Nath, T., Shrestha, & Sharma, P. (2022). Circular economy-driven sustainability adoption practices in the food supply chain: An analysis of managerial perceptions. Review of Professional Management, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/09728686221100495

Nelson, J., Ahn, J. J., & Corley, E. A. (2020). Sense of place: Trends from the literature. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 13(2), 236–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2020.1726799

Oh, H., Fiore, A. M., & Jeoung, M. (2007). Measuring experience economy concepts: Tourism applications. Journal of Travel Research, 46(2), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287507304039

Olya, H., Jung, T. H., Tom Dieck, M. C., & Ryu, K. (2020). Engaging visitors of science festivals using augmented reality: Asymmetrical modelling. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(2), 769–796. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2018-0820

Qin, X., Godil, D., Sarwat, S., Yu, Z., Khan, S., & Shujaat, S. (2021). Green practices in food supply chains: Evidence from emerging economies. Operations Management Research, 15, 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-021-00187-y

R Core Team. (2023). R: A language and environment for statistical computing [Computer software]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.R-project.org/

Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Seyfi, S., Rather, R. A., & Hall, C. M. (2022). Investigating the mediating role of visitor satisfaction in the relationship between memorable tourism experiences and behavioral intentions in heritage tourism context. Tourism Review, 77(2), 687–709. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-02-2021-0086

Rickly, J. M. (2022). A review of authenticity research in tourism: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on authenticity. Annals of Tourism Research, 92, 103349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103349

Rozynek, C., & Lanzendorf, M. (2023). How does low income affect older people’s travel practices? Findings of a qualitative case study on the links between financial poverty, mobility and social participation. Travel Behaviour and Society, 30, 312–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2022.10.003

Saaty, T. L., & Vargas, L. G. (1980). Hierarchical analysis of behavior in competition: Prediction in chess. Behavioral Science, 25(3), 180–191. https://doi.org/10.1002/bs.3830250303

Santos, A. I. G. P., Perinotto, A. R. C., Soares, J. R. R., Mondo, T. S., & Cembranel, P. (2022). Expressing the experience: An analysis of Airbnb customer sentiments. Tourism and Hospitality, 3(3), 685–705. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp3030042

Seyfi, S., Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Sthapit, E., & Hall, C. M. (2024). Antecedents of domestic visitor’s memorable experiences and gender difference: A heritage tourism context. Tourism Recreation Research, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2024.2309761

Shahzad, M., Liu, H., & Zahid, H. (2024). Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainable performance: Do green supply chain collaboration, circular economy practices, technological readiness and environmental dynamism matter? Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 36(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-05-2024-0236

Shaykh-Baygloo, R. (2021). Foreign tourists’ experience: The tri-partite relationships among sense of place toward destination city, tourism attractions and tourists’ overall satisfaction—Evidence from Shiraz, Iran. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100518

Shrestha, N. (2020). Detecting multicollinearity in regression analysis. American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 8(2), 39–42. https://doi.org/10.12691/ajams-8-2-1

Sorrentino, A., Ferretti, M., Risitano, M., Del Chiappa, G., & Okumus, F. (2022). The influence of the onboard servicescape on cruisers’ experiential state, delight and memorability. Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, 17(1), 17–41. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-11-2020-0258

Stedman, R. C. (2016). Subjectivity and social-ecological systems: A rigidity trap (and sense of place as a way out). Sustainability Science, 11(6), 891–901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-016-0388-y

Stekhoven, D. J., & Buehlmann, P. (2012). missForest: Nonparametric missing value imputation using Random Forest. Bioinformatics, 28(1), 112–118. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btr597

Sthapit, E., & Coudounaris, D. N. (2018). Memorable tourism experiences: Antecedents and outcomes. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 18(1), 72–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2017.1287003

Sthapit, E., Coudounaris, D. N., & Björk, P. (2019). Extending the memorable tourism experience construct: An investigation of memories of local food experiences. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 19(4–5), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2019.1689530

Syafganti, I., Setyawan, H., Iqbal, M., Rajoendah, K., Mubarak, F., & Jakarta, P. (2024). Pengaruh pertimbangan sustainable practices terhadap intensi pemilihan venue di kalangan professional conference organizer dan professional event organizer. National Conference on Applied Business, Education, & Technology (NCABET), 3(1), 318–329. https://doi.org/10.46306/ncabet.v3i1.129

Tsai, C. (2016). Memorable tourist experiences and place attachment when consuming local food. International Journal of Tourism Research, 18(6), 536–548. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2070

Vada, S., Prentice, C., & Hsiao, A. (2019). The influence of tourism experience and well-being on place attachment. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 47, 322–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.12.007

Wang, N. (1999). Rethinking authenticity in tourism experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(98)00103-0

Wong, I. A., Fong, L. H. N., & Law, R. (2016). A longitudinal multilevel model of tourist outbound travel behavior and the dual-cycle model. Journal of Travel Research, 55(7), 957–970. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287515601239

Yi, X., Fu, X., So, K. K. F., & Zheng, C. (2023). Perceived authenticity and place attachment: New findings from Chinese World Heritage Sites. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 47(5), 800–826. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480211027629

Yi, X., Lin, V. S., Jin, W., & Luo, Q. (2017). The authenticity of heritage sites, tourists’ quest for existential authenticity, and destination loyalty. Journal of Travel Research, 56(8), 1032–1048. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287516675061

Yu, Q., Pickering, S., Geng, R., & Yen, D. A. (2021). Thanks for the memories: Exploring city tourism experiences via social media reviews. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, 100851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100851

Zamudio-Fernandes, M. A., Zarzo, I., Pina, T., Soriano, J. M., & San Onofre, N. (2024). Assessment and solutions to food waste at congress events: A perspective of the MagNuS project. Foods, 13(2), 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020181

Zhang, H., Wu, Y., & Buhalis, D. (2018). A model of perceived image, memorable tourism experiences and revisit intention. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 8, 326–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.06.004

Zhang, T., Wen, H., & Li, X. (2018). A tourist-based model of authenticity of heritage sporting events: The case of Naadam. Sustainability, 11(1), 108. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010108

Zhou, Q., He, Z., & Li, X. (2023). Quantifying authenticity: Progress and challenges. Journal of Travel Research, 62(7), 1460–1479. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875221131560

Zou, W., Wei, W., Ding, S., & Xue, J. (2022). The relationship between place attachment and tourist loyalty: A meta-analysis. Tourism Management Perspectives, 43, 100983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2022.100983