Research On The Formation Mechanism And Change Pattern Of Tourist Well-being:The Perspective Of Role Theory

This article aims to explore the formation mechanism and changing pattern of tourist well-being,and solve the scientific problems of where tourist well-being comes from and how to change.Based on role theory and tourism stage theory,this article sorts out the core influencing factors and moderating factors of tourist well-being in three stages of travel,and then constructs the theoretical model of the pre-trip well-being mechanism,on-site well-being mechanism and post-trip well-being mechanism with self-determination theory and learning theory;Then,based on the self-determination theory and the set point theory,the article constructs the theoretical model of change pattern of tourist well-being.Through a multi-method research design combining questionnaire survey and situational experiment,583 questionnaire data and 1945 situational experiment data were collected,above theoretical models are empirically tested.Study 1 focuses on the effect of tourist preparation(adequate vs.average)on pre-tourism well-being.Through a multi-method empirical exploration of one questionnaire survey and two situational experiments,the results find that adequate(vs.average)tourist preparation can stimulate higher pre-trip well-being and tourist expectation;The effect of tourist preparation on pre-trip well-being is mediated by tourist expectation;While destination accessibility(higher vs.lower)moderates the after-effects of tourist preparation,lower(vs.higher)destination accessibility can strengthen the effect of tourist preparation on tourist expectation and pre-trip well-being.Study 2 focuses on the influence of tourism activity(relaxing vs.challenging)on on-site well-being.Through a multi-method empirical exploration of one questionnaire survey and two situational experiments,the results find that challenging(vs.relaxing)tourism activity can stimulate a higher sense of on-site well-being and tourist immersion;The influence of tourism activity on on-site well-being is mediated by tourist immersion;While social context(being alone vs.with companions)moderates the after-effects of tourism activity,that is,the social context with companions(vs.being alone)can strengthen the impact of tourism activity on tourist immersion and on-site well-being.Study 3 focuses on the impact of travel experience sharing(desirability vs.feasibility)on post-trip well-being.Through a multimethod empirical exploration of one questionnaire survey and two situational experiments,the results find that desirability(vs.feasibility)travel experience sharing can stimulate higher post-trip well-being and tourist self-development;and tourist self-development mediates the effect of travel experience sharing on post-trip well-being;While sharing feedback(more vs.less)has a moderating effect on the after-effects of travel experience sharing,more(vs.less)sharing feedback can strengthen the effect of travel experience sharing on tourist self-development and post-trip well-being.Study 4 focuses on the change pattern of hedonia and eudaimonia in the whole process of a trip and the differences in the dynamic changes of tourist well-being in different tourism activities.Through two longitudinal multi-method empirical studies,the results find that both hedonia and eudaimonia show significant changes relative to their baseline levels,and show a relative increase first and then decrease between the three trip stages,hedonia(vs.eudaimonia)had a greater change intensity;While tourism activity(relaxing vs.challenging)play a moderating role in the change pattern of tourist well-being,challenging(vs.relaxing)tourism activity can strengthen the eudaimonia in the onsite stage.This article has made some theoretical contributions: 1)Constructing a “four points and three stages” analysis framework of tourist well-being research,and putting forward the research topics on formation mechanism of pre-trip well-being,on-site well-being and post-trip wellbeing;2)Integrating eudaimonia into the framework of empirical research on tourist well-being,which promotes the development of positive psychology theory in tourist well-being research;3)Developing the theoretical models of formation mechanism of pre-trip well-being,onsite well-being and post-trip well-being,and clarifying the differences of them;4)Comparing the similarities and differences in the changes of eudaimonia and hedonia in a trip,and clarifying three types of tourist well-being change patterns;5)Deepening the application of role theory,self-determination theory and learning theory in tourist well-being research,and consolidating the theoretical foundation of tourist wellbeing research.As a whole,this article believes that the process of people’ s pursuit of well-being through tourism activities is not only a process of timespace transformation,but also a process of social interaction;not only a process of demands satisfaction,but also a process of learning and growth;not only a process of sensory enjoyment,but also a process of selfrealization.The article verifies the necessity,importance and feasibility of studying the tourist well-being in stages and introducing eudaimonia into the research of tourist well-being;Clarifies the formation process of pretrip well-being,on-site well-being,and post-trip well-being;Portrays three kinds of dynamic change patterns of tourist well-being;Enriches related theories such as role theory,tourism stage theory,selfdetermination theory,learning theory,and calls for the implementation of“tourist full-process well-being management” strategy for tourist destinations to improve the quality of tourist well-being.