Tourist engagement and subjective well-being in film tourism: Mediator of memorable tourism experience

Abstract

Film tourism and film tourists’ perceptions and experiences have been extensively researched. However, few studies have explored the effects of tourist engagement on tourists’ emotional states in the posttravel stage. Therefore, the present study investigated the association between tourist engagement and subjective well-being as mediated by memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) in film tourism. A total of 424 Taiwanese tourists engaged in film tourism to South Korea were invited to participate in the study. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses. The results revealed that tourist engagement is positively associated with the creation of MTEs and with tourists’ subjective well-being. MTEs are positively associated with subjective well-being. Furthermore, MTEs mediate tourist engagement and subjective well-being; that is, engaged tourists are more likely to create MTEs, which enhance their subjective sense of well-being. These results supplement existing findings on film tourism by clarifying the effect of tourist engagement on MTEs and subjective well-being. Moreover, this study provides valuable insights for the management and marketers of film tourism destinations, assisting them in enhancing visitor engagement to promote MTEs and a sense of well-being.