Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
232
phase, (2) travel to the site, (3) on-site activity, (4) return travel, and (5) a recollection phase. Researchers suggested 
that tourist experiences are dynamic and fluctuate over the course of engagement, and experience can be studied 
through looking at a series of stages or events (Arnould and Price, 1993; Hull and Michael, 1995; Hull, Stewart, and 
Yi, 1992). This study adopts the chronological and temporal aspects of the tourist experience and examines the 
concept from a series of stages. The tourism experience is defined as a multi-phase phenomenon related to the pre-
trip planning experience, en-route (travel to the destination and return travel) experience, on-site experience, and 
after-trip reflection (Jennings and Weiler, 2006; Vitterso et al., 2000; Clawson and Knetsch, 1966; Killion, 1992; 
Laws, 1995; Neal, Sirgy, and Uysal, 1999, 2004). 
Researchers have indicated that a tourism destination is a collection of different products and experience 
opportunities that combine to form a total experience of the area visited. The success of the tourism product depends 
on how well the whole experiential content was designed, packed, and delivered to the tourists (Smith, 1994). A 
competitive tourism destination is one which provides superior tourist experience to that of alternative destinations 
or competitors (Dwyer and Kim, 2003). In this sense, destination competitiveness is closely interrelated to the 
tourists’ vacation experience or is considered a function of the perceived quality of tourist experience related to the 
destination.