Always best or good enough? The effect of ‘mind-set’ on preference consistency over time in tourist decision making

Li, Qiuyun; Li, Chunxiao; McCabe, Scott; Xu, Hong

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Where a lengthy period is available for the choice of tourist destination, people’s tendency to change their minds can be pronounced. This makes the investigation of preference (in)consistency of great interest. Here, we integrate construal level theory (CLT) with mind-set theory, for the first time, to explore the moderating effect of an internal factor (i.e. mind-set) on preference shifts from desirable to feasible attributes over time. The results of four choice experiments suggest that, compared with people with a satisficing mind-set, people with a maximizing mind-set are reluctant to sacrifice desirability for feasibility, which counters the inclination to alter preferences as the decision time approaches. Furthermore, we found that different preference patterns between maximizers and satisficers are not connected to desirability but result from maximizers’ consistency in placing less importance on feasibility. Implications for future studies and destination marketers are outlined

Citation

Li, Q., Li, C., McCabe, S., & Xu, H. (2019). Always best or good enough? The effect of ‘mind-set’ on preference consistency over time in tourist decision making. Annals of Tourism Research, 75, 186-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.01.003

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 7, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jan 28, 2019
• Publication Date: Mar 31, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 14, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 29, 2021
• Journal: Annals of Tourism Research
• Print ISSN: 0160-7383
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 75
• Pages: 186-201
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.01.003
• Keywords: destination choice; temporal distance; construal level theory; satisfying and maximizing mind-set.
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1468471
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738319300039
• Contract Date: Jan 14, 2019