The Embodied Formation of Destination Attachment

Destination attachment is a type of place attachment whose formation mechanism has not been sufficiently analyzed. This study establishes a theoretical model of the formation of destination attachment and verifies it using two case studies of Hainan Island and Hangzhou. In Study 1, a general theoretical model describing the formation of destination attachment is proposed using travelog data and grounded theory analysis. The results indicate that the destination attachment mechanism differs in different tourism states, that is, a push-pull mechanism before traveling, stimulus-organism-response and perception-emotion-response mechanisms during traveling, and rational, emotional behavior after traveling. In Study 2, the influences of body expressions, consciousness change, and spatial transformation on destination attachment are verified and compared using review data and regression analysis. This study is innovative in revealing diverse spaces, highlighting the roles of bodies, and interpreting the diverse psychological mechanisms of the formation of destination attachment.