The Moderating Roles of Multidimensional Novelty-Seeking Behaviors on Destination Images and Revisit Intentions

Tourism destinations strive to understand visitors’ diverse desires, with some actively seeking novelty through unique experiences, while others are drawn back to familiar destinations due to favorable destination images. This study fills in gaps in the existing literature by examining the moderating roles of the different novelty-seeking tendencies–thrill, change from routine, boredom relief, and surprise–and how they affect the relationship between destination images (affective, cognitive, and overall) and intentions to revisit (short, medium, and long term). Utilizing data from 691 visitors collected in the northeastern region of the US, the study reveals that the overall destination image significantly impacts revisit intentions, particularly in the long term. Novelty-seeking tendencies, especially change from routine, significantly moderate the relationships, while boredom alleviation and surprise show marginal effects. These findings provide valuable insights for destination managers, emphasizing the importance of tailoring marketing strategies to visitors’ novelty-seeking preferences and enhancing destination images to boost immediate and long-term revisit intentions.