Digital Tourism Marketing as a Potential Catalyst for Transformative Experiences

This study explores the potential of tourism marketing materials to evoke transformative experiences, focusing on a subsample of twenty-five participants drawn from a larger study who demonstrated transformative changes during the research. Data was collected through a three-phase process: a pre-survey, an experiment involving watching marketing materials, and a post-interview. The subsample showed characteristics of great self-reflection skills and stronger preference for relaxation, nature and volunteer work, as well as greater inclination toward extroversion. Three key themes of transformation emerged: recontextualising the familiar, changing attitudes, and aspirational engagement with unexplored destinations and new activities. While socio-demographic factors did not significantly differentiate the subsample, they demonstrated more change of thinking and stronger likelihood of concrete action than the comparison group. This research highlights the potential for tourism organizations to influence consumer behaviour by designing digital marketing materials that foster transformative experiences. Even without explicit intention, such materials can spark changes in attitude, show a new perspective in a familiar destination or encourage to try novel activities or destinations. The findings also suggest that these experiences can play a role in promoting sustainable tourism practices and engaging new customer segments. Further research could explore how to intentionally design marketing materials to maximise their transformative impact.