The role of photograph aesthetics on online review sites:Effects of management- versus traveler-generated photos on tourists’ decision-making

Tourists searching for information about destinations on online review sites areconcurrently exposed to two different photograph aesthetics, professional (produced by destination managers) and amateur (generated by travelers). While the former is glossy and sharp, the latter is often grainy and overexposed. Although aesthetics are important factors in tourist decision-making, the effects of the exposure to both types of photo aesthetics remain largely unexamined. This research investigates how both types of aesthetics, either singularly or in combination, affect a destination’s visual appeal and tourists’ booking intentionsthrough four controlled experiments (N = 1282). Our results show that despite the ‘messy’ beauty in amateur aesthetics, photos with professional aesthetics make a depicted destinationappear more visually appealing, ultimately driving booking intentions. However, the negative effects of amateur aesthetics are mitigated when (i) viewed by risk-averse tourists, (ii) presented alongside positive reviews, and (iii) accompanied by a greater number of professional photos

Pleasure, reward, preference : their nature, determinants, and role in behavior /

This book is derived from a symposium on "pleasure, reward, preference: their nature, determinants, and role in behavior" which was held at the Klarskovgaard Training Institute, near Korsor, Denmark, on 5-9 June 197