Abstract:

Creating and managing a positive tourist experience is the strategic goal of every tourist destination that aspires to leap ahead of the competition. To better comprehend the elements of tourist experiences at the destination, it is now more important than ever to set a conceptual framework for the destination experience.  However, amidst a stream of research that explores experiences in different destination settings, a framework of destination experience remains underexplored. Therefore, this article aims to draw, based on a critical analysis of the concept of customer experience in tourism literature and previous experience model, a conceptual framework of the destination experience. The suggested conceptual framework aims to provide guidelines for destination management organizations to identify and understand the drivers of tourist experiences in a tourist destination, alongside the travel span for the effective delivery and management of positive destination experience.