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Tourists' regret as moral emotional experience

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  • Jiang, Fenfen
  • Zhang, Carol Xiaoyue
  • McCabe, Scott

Abstract

Ethical and responsible tourism have been widely examined, yet there is little research exploring emotional consequences of tourists' morally questionable actions. By focusing on regret experiences, this study aims to understand how tourists perceive and reflect on the morality of their behaviour. The research draws on naturalistic data from 82 travel blogs that reveal how regret experiences reflect moral consciousness and explains how regret is constructed as a moral emotional experience, developing from negative affect of moral judgement (i.e., empathy, unease, shock/surprise) to a negative sense of self through moral reflection (i.e., guilt, self-disappointment/shame). Tourists' regret experience goes beyond counterfactual thinking, highlighting its dynamic nature in response to different moral concerns in tourism interactions, offering insights for theory and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiang, Fenfen & Zhang, Carol Xiaoyue & McCabe, Scott, 2026. "Tourists' regret as moral emotional experience," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:116:y:2026:i:c:s0160738325002129
    DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2025.104106
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    References listed on IDEAS

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