Affect theory and the attractivity of destinations

This article seeks to examine how affect theory might offer a complementary explanation and thus deepen understanding of the ability of destinations to continue to attract tourists (or not). The study is based on over twenty years of qualitative analysis and observation of Monaco and Tahiti and its Islands. These are well-recognized tourism destinations but they display very different levels of attractivity. Knowledge acquired from studying other destinations has also been relied on to reveal how even non-representational social processes actively influence tourist performance and hence the future of destinations. This theoretical turn to affect theory has been inspired by the call to add emotions, affects and senses for a more critical examination of tourism practices.