Affect of emotional fitness on revisit intentions

Higher School of Economics, Saint-Petersburg

Economics and Management Faculty

Bachelor's Degree program "International Business and Management"

Term paper

“Affect of emotional fitness on revisit intentions”

Anastasia Dzyuba

Valeria Zhidko

Supervised by M.V. Matetskaya

Saint Petersburg, 2023

Abstract.

Museums are important cultural institutions that provide opportunities for individuals to learn about history, art, and science. They play a significant role in promoting cultural exchange and enhancing social cohesion. However, museums often face challenges in attracting visitors and retaining them. Visitors' intentions to revisit museums are influenced by various factors, including their emotional experiences during their visit. Emotional fitness, or the ability to manage and regulate emotions effectively, has been linked to numerous positive outcomes, including enhanced social skills, better academic performance, and improved job performance. The study aims to explore the relationship between emotional fitness and intentions to revisit museums by using a survey-based research method. The sample will consist of 228 individuals from 18 to 79 years who have recently visited the RZHD museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. 

Firstly, the existing literature on emotional fitness and its impact on human behavior will be analyzed. Secondly, the research design and methodology of the study will be presented. This section will describe the survey questionnaire, the sampling procedure and the data analysis plan in R-studio that will be used to analyze the impact of certain emotional factors on revisit intention. Thirdly, the results of the study will be presented, containing the analysis of the data collected through questionnaires and present statistical findings and also provide an interpretation of the results and discuss the implications of the study for the RZHD museum and other museums in Russia. The results of the study can provide valuable insights into the relationship between emotional fitness and human behavior and may inform the development of interventions aimed at enhancing emotional fitness and improving visitors' experiences at museums. 

Introduction.

Museums are not only repositories of cultural and historical artefacts, but they are also important public spaces that offer educational and recreational opportunities to visitors. The definition of the museum by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) states that its main purpose is to conserve and research the heritage of humanity while also providing education and entertainment. However, in the past three decades, the role of heritage institutions has expanded beyond these defined boundaries (McLean, 1995). This expansion is evident in research that shows how stimulating visitors' senses can aid in the "recreation" of cultural messages, ultimately leading to their rediscovery (Kotler & Armstrong, 1999). ^[a]This example illustrates how museums have increasingly focused on enhancing visitors' experiences as one of their functions. In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding the factors that influence visitors' intentions to revisit museums. According to Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory (EDT), affective components, including emotional experiences and feelings, have been found to play a crucial role in shaping visitors' intentions to revisit museums (Johnson et al., 2012). Positive emotional experiences, such as enjoyment and interest, have been found to increase visitors' intentions to revisit, while negative emotional experiences, such as boredom and frustration, have been found to decrease intentions to revisit. Therefore, understanding the impact of affective components on visitors' intentions to revisit organisations of culture can provide valuable insights into how museums can create positive emotional experiences for visitors and promote cultural engagement.

The concept of revisit intention can often be found in the tourism sector background, and it is regarded as a significant factor for businesses growth and survival (Ngoc and Trinh, 2015). For businesses to grow and prosper, tourist revisit intention is regarded very highly (Ngoc and Trinh, 2015). The key reason is that tourists’ repeated visits reduce marketing and promotion costs (Loui et al., 2017; Kim et al., 2013). It also contributes to the profitability and substantiality of the tourism business (Alves et al., 2019; Stylos et al., 2017; Hsu et al., 2008) and is regarded as the key to successful destination marketing (Beerli-Palacio and Martín-Santana, 2018; Loi et al., 2017; Chang, 2013). Furthermore, the cost involved in attracting and retaining repeat visitors are significantly lesser than attracting first-time visitors (Chiu et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2013). 

There are some main objectives of this term paper. The study wants to go some way towards enhancing ^[b]our understanding of interconnections of perceived value, affective components and behavioural intentions. It wants to develop new combinations of dimensions, namely: attractiveness, fitness, uniqueness and atmosphere. 

There are some goals^[c] of this paper. Firstly, it is important to elaborate on the main concepts of the research, such as museums, intention to revisit, and affective components. Secondly, it is necessary to provide definitions of emotional fitness and marketing models, along with examples of how marketing models can be used to effectively leverage emotions and build stronger connections with consumers. Thirdly, the study wants to investigate levels of affective components and utilise a conditional inference model when studying interconnections of perceived value, satisfaction and visitor revisit intentions. Fourthly, it is needed to analyse the Russian museum audience and their preferences regarding the choice of destination.

The research is going to employ a quantitative methodology. The research database that was used had been created by conducting quantitative questionnaires among visitors of RZHD Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The survey consisted of 83 questions including multiple choice answers, agree/disagree statements, free form response. 

The findings of this study would have important implications for future museum  practice^[d] and management. The practical input of the study is to develop an instrument that will allow museums to predict visitor behaviour and their intentions and expectations, thus aiding museums with future action plans on visitor retention and long-term satisfaction.