Too complex to handle: Goal conflict and tourist preference for simple aesthetics

Tourism practitioners can generally choose to provide the tourists with either complex, fancier environments (e.g., restaurants, destinations) and products (e.g., souvenirs) or simpler ones. This research investigates the effect of goal conflict on tourist preference for simple aesthetics. Across five studies (n = 1994), with one questionnaire survey and four scenario-based experiments, this work shows that tourists experiencing goal conflict tend to prefer simpler aesthetics. This is because goal conflict tends to enhance the tourists' desire for control, which in turn increases their preference for simple designs. The main effect is attenuated when consumers undergo self-affirmation. These findings shed light on how goal conflict leads to a preference for simple aesthetics, providing key implications for theory and tourism marketing.