The Behavioral Consequences of Tourist Experience

•We investigate tourists from the 17 most attractive townships in Taiwan.•We apply a MIMIC model to conceptualize tourist experiences.•We find a mechanism of “experience ➔ perceived value ➔ satisfaction ➔loyalty.”

The study investigates the behavioral consequences of experience in Taiwanese tourist townships. A multiple indicator-multiple cause (MIMIC) approach is applied to conceptualize the construct of tourist experience, a dynamic process in which tourists transform mere exposure of stimulus into a state of flow and positive emotion. The results reveal a psychological process of “tourist experience ➔ perceived value ➔ satisfaction ➔ loyalty intentions.” Perceived value intervenes between tourist experience and satisfaction. Satisfaction is a dominant antecedent of loyalty intentions. Overall, only when perceived value and satisfaction are considered together in the tourist experience model will the nuances of tourist behaviors be understood. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.