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Escape to express: Tourist identity and self-disclosure

Author

Listed:
  • Hu, Jihao
  • Chen, Hanyu (Yuki)
  • Lin, Zhibin
  • Xu, DaPeng
  • Wu, Wei

Abstract

Counter to the common intuition that consumers tend to be more cautious and less self-expressive when traveling to or reviewing an unfamiliar place, this research uncovers a counterintuitive effect: making a tourist identity salient increases consumer self-disclosure. A field study (n = 224) establishes the main effect. Then, Study 2 (n = 283) tests the mediating role of psychological anonymity while ruling out several alternatives. Studies 3 (n = 396) and 4 (n = 381) examine the moderating roles of social anxiety and brand type. Finally, a large-scale secondary data analysis (n = 39,574) further corroborates our findings. The results extend identity theory in tourism by showing that tourist identity influences behavior beyond immediate travel contexts and provide practical insights.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Jihao & Chen, Hanyu (Yuki) & Lin, Zhibin & Xu, DaPeng & Wu, Wei, 2026. "Escape to express: Tourist identity and self-disclosure," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:116:y:2026:i:c:s0160738325001872
    DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2025.104081
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