Service Experience and Package Tours

Discussion about the experiential aspects of consumption in academia is constantly evolving, and the experience economy has been identified as an important facet of the present-day situation. The experience economy reflects a wide range of concepts that have been proposed in previous research. In the tourism domain, tourists have become accustomed to desire subjective and memorable experiences to create overall satisfaction and encourage them to repurchase tourist products. However, the investigation of service experiences for tourists is still in its infancy. This study explores service experiences in the context of package tours, specifically inbound package tours to China from the USA. The findings clarify the emergence of the experience economy. In the second-order model derived from the results, the service experience is decomposed into four dimensions, including recognition and escapism, peace of mind and relaxation, hedonics and involvement, which have direct influences on overall tourist satisfaction and behavioral intention. The managerial implications of the findings in terms of the benefits extractable by tour operators and service providers are discussed. This exploratory attempt will provide a reference point for future researchers who are interested in tapping into the area of study.