Art as Experience: Modeling the Impact of Artistic Engagement on Tourist Behavior

Oğuz YURTTADUR

doi:10.63556/jotags.2026.1838

Authors

Oğuz YURTTADUR

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63556/jotags.2026.1838

Keywords:

Art-based experience, Art-based tourism experiences, Tourist engagement, Experience economy, Aesthetic experience

Abstract

This study examines the role of art as an experiential driver in tourism by investigating how art-based experiences influence tourist engagement and subsequent behavioral outcomes. Grounded in the experience economy and service-dominant logic, the research develops and tests a conceptual model linking art-based experience, tourist engagement, satisfaction, destination loyalty, as well as the revisit intention. Data were collected from 342 tourists having participated in art-related activities such as museum visits, exhibitions, and visual art experiences. The proposed model was analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that art-based experiences have a strong positive effect on tourist engagement, confirming that aesthetic and immersive interactions with art significantly enhance tourists’ cognitive and emotional involvement. Engagement, in turn, is found to be a key predictor of both satisfaction and destination loyalty, while satisfaction significantly influences revisit intention. Mediation analysis reveals that engagement plays a central role in translating art-based experiences into positive behavioral outcomes, highlighting its function as a critical psychological mechanism. The study contributes to the literature by reconceptualizing art as a dynamic and interactive element in tourism rather than a passive attraction. It extends existing research by providing empirical evidence for the mediating role of engagement in art-based tourism experiences contexts and by integrating experiential and behavioral perspectives within a unified framework.

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