Power of Positive Experiences: The Role of Positive Reciprocity Norm in Smart Tourism City

Positive experience has emerged as a crucial concept in marketing and tourism in the past decade. However, little is known about the perspective that tourists reciprocate the perceived benefits gained from positive experiences in urban settings. Utilizing the positive reciprocity norm, this paper proposes a conceptual model with destination image identified as the key driver impacting destination loyalty. Additionally, the mediation effect of positive experience, tourist-destination identification, destination trust, and experiential satisfaction were examined for further insights. Incheon, the first smart tourism city in South Korea, was selected as the focus of this study. An online survey was conducted with 342 respondents, with 310 valid responses analyzed from individuals who had visited Incheon between April 2022 and April 2023 through the Embrain online survey platform to Koreans. The collected data was analyzed though SPSS and Smart PLS. By integrating the positive reciprocity norm into urban settings, smart tourism cities can improve their city brand strategies striving to create a virtuous cycle of giving back. Finally, this study has both practical and theoretical implications. It provides valuable insights for tourism practitioners who intend to build sustainable beneficial relationships with visitors through intelligent urban branding and smart tourism technologies.