Processing promotional travel narratives

While research exists which examines the use of tourism promotional communications (Andereck, 2005; Loda, Norman, & Backman, 2005), an investigation of how travelers process such promotional communications is lacking. In response, this study sought to investigate processing as well as perceived skepticism towards tourism promotional communications. The importance of understanding processing and perceived skepticism resides in the fact that both have been linked to overall message persuasiveness; and as such, both are essential to developing and implementing effective travel promotional communications. Specifically, this study sought to examine if participants differed based on their demographic characteristics in (1) the degree to which participants’ were able to be transported by a narrative (i.e. process), and (2) participants’ level of perceived skepticism concerning travel articles and travel brochures. To do so, Green and Brock’s (2000) Transportation scale and Obermiller and Spangenberg’s (1998) Skepticism Towards Advertising scale (SKEP) were incorporated.