Nation branding effects on retrospective global evaluation of past travel experiences

Contemporary consumers often base future decisions on retrospective evaluations of different complex series of past consumption events. Various factors shape these evaluations, leading to discrepancies between the actual experience and the retrospective global evaluation (RGE). The fact that the driver of future decision making is the retrospective global evaluation, and not the actual experience (Kahneman, Wakker, & Sarin, 1997), signifies the need to examine the processes behind the shaping of retrospective global evaluations. This research focuses on generating a better understanding about how experiential branding efforts positively impact retrospective evaluations of past visitor experiences. Findings reveal positive brand communication increases the experiential value that travelers assign to past leisure trips. Brand exposure seems to have a positive polluting effect on previous travel experience's RGE strengthening positive behavior intentions. This finding reveals a potentially powerful opportunity to increase destination brand communication's effectiveness.