Dear Naghme Hosseini

Emotional marketing in tourist destinations is a strategy that seeks to connect deeply with the feelings and emotions of travelers, creating memorable and meaningful experiences. Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses on practical aspects such as costs and amenities, emotional marketing evokes sensations ranging from nostalgia and adventure to peace and authenticity. This is achieved by using visual narratives, sounds, images, and messages that awaken the tourist's sense of belonging or aspiration. For example, a campaign for a paradise beach could focus on freedom and escape from routine, while a cultural destination could highlight the connection with history and local identity.

In the context of tourism, this type of marketing allows destinations to differentiate themselves and connect in a more personal way with their potential visitors. By focusing their efforts on creating experiences that awaken emotions, destinations can build a more attractive image and increase the loyalty of their visitors, who are looking to experience something more than just a trip. Travelers who have been emotionally impacted are more likely to remember the place and recommend it, strengthening the destination's long-term value.

I hope this helps.

@naghme Hosseini

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The state of the art of emotional advertising in tourism: A neuromarketing perspective

Sara De-Frutos-Arranz, Maria-Francisca Blasco López

Tourism Review International 26 (2), 139-162, 2022

Due to increasing competition in the tourism sector, destinations struggle to attract the attention of potential visitors through advertising. This article addresses the influence of emotions in tourism advertising, arguing that they are an effective predictor of individual behavior, and essential in destination choices, which have an important unconscious component. This bibliometric work discusses the role of emotional advertising, reviews the literature in order to describe the current state of knowledge in tourism and neuromarketing, and assess the valuable findings made by recent years due to advances in neuroscience. The literature review provided an in-depth understanding on how neuromarketing contributes to reveal tourists' implicit emotional responses that affect subsequent decision marking and seek to prove that neuromarketing research can increase tourism competitiveness through providing data to conduct more efficient campaigns. Consequently, the field is an important subject for further research and several lines of future investigation have been identified.

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Emotion measurement in tourism destination marketing: A comparative electroencephalographic and behavioral study

Marcel Bastiaansen, Sebastiaan Straatman, Ondrej Mitas, Jeroen Stekelenburg, Saskia Jansen

Journal of Travel Research 61 (2), 252-264, 2022

It is commonly assumed that TV commercials successfully influence affective tourism destination image by coupling positive emotions to a destination. In this study we record emotional responses to destination pictures before and after viewing a destination TV commercial from participants’ brains using electroencephalography (EEG). A control group of participants watched the same destination pictures, and an unrelated TV commercial. Emotion-related event-related potential (ERP) components, the P2 and LPP, were derived from the EEG. For the participants that watched the destination TV commercial, the P2 and the LPP were larger in response to destination pictures after compared to before having watched the TV commercial. This effect was not observed in the control group. In a behavioral version of the same experiment, we did not observe any effects in the self-report data. It is concluded that ERP methodology is a useful tool to complement the toolbox of tourism marketing researchers.

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Motivations, emotions and satisfaction: The keys to a tourism destination choice

Maria Helena Pestana, Artur Parreira, Luiz Moutinho

Journal of Destination Marketing & Management 16, 100332, 2020

A noticeable void remains in the appreciation of what motivates the senior tourism market. This study aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of tourism consumer psychology by improving the existing understanding of the motivation and related psychological processes that underly intentions and decision-making in respect of tourist destinations. A model explaining the mediation role played by satisfaction in the relationship between motivation, emotion, and behavioural intentions is developed. A sample of 460 seniors …

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Evaluation of the virtual economic effect of tourism product emotional marketing based on virtual reality

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Emotional marketing in tourism aims to create strong, memorable experiences that resonate deeply with visitors' emotions, which can influence their decisions, satisfaction, and loyalty. It leverages the idea that emotions are triggered not only by individual experiences—current and past—but also by the surrounding environment and context of the destination. This approach emphasizes storytelling, sensory engagement, and authentic connections to build a bond between tourists and the destination, making it more than just a place but an emotional journey.

For example, by tapping into past personal memories or aspirations, tourism campaigns can make destinations feel familiar or nostalgic. Meanwhile, unique features of the environment—such as local culture, scenic beauty, or immersive events—serve as powerful influences that can elicit specific emotions, like awe, relaxation, or excitement.

Visitor expectations also play a crucial role in shaping positive or negative experiences. If visitors' expectations are met or exceeded, the experience is likely perceived as positive, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty. However, when expectations aren’t aligned—perhaps due to differences in anticipated ambiance, activities, or service quality—even objectively good experiences can be perceived negatively. This makes 'expectation management' through marketing essential, as realistic, clear communication can help set accurate expectations and minimize disappointments.

In addition, the multidimensionality of experiences must be considered—including their cognitive, emotional, relational, and sensory aspects—to create a truly holistic and engaging experience for visitors. In this context you could also consider the importance of the emerging XR-Experiences. Consider integrating the Metaverse into tourism marketing too. It could elevate emotional engagement to a new level. Through immersive and interactive virtual experiences, destinations can give potential visitors a chance to explore, connect with, and feel the destination before they even arrive. By previewing the destination in a realistic virtual environment, potential visitors can align their expectations more accurately, reducing the risk of disappointment. While it won't replace the physical trip, the Metaverse complements it, enhancing customer engagement and expanding the destination's emotional impact, potentially driving more visitors to fulfill the virtual experience in reality. (As inspiration have a look for example at: Dogan Gursoy, Suresh Malodia & Amandeep Dhir (2022) The metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industry: An overview of current trends and future research directions, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 31:5, 527-534, DOI: 10.1080/19368623.2022.2072504). I hope it helps a little!