“Feel the green”: How a handwritten typeface affects tourists’ responses to green tourism products and services

Abstract

This research examines how the visual cue of a handwritten (vs. typewritten) typeface, affects tourists’ responses to the marketing of green tourism. We draw on the visual marketing literature to propose that a handwritten typeface leads to more positive responses toward green destinations/products/hospitality (i.e., anticipation of enjoyment, willingness to pay, and booking intention) via tourists’ perception of greenness. We also find that the enhancing effect of a handwritten typeface occurs only in the green (as opposed to luxury) travel context. This effect is mitigated, however, when tourists are made conscious of greenness. Four experiments using different product and service categories across two countries support our hypotheses. Our findings contribute to the literature on green tourism, typeface design, and tourists’ perception of greenness, and provide practical guidelines that can help tourism companies and policymakers design effective green communication strategies.