Igniting creativity through travel: The roles of interest, cognitive flexibility, and destination information presentation style

Despite the assumed link between tourism and creativity, research remains limited, and findings are inconsistent. This study draws on trait activation theory and broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions to propose a theoretical model that explores how environmental novelty influences tourist creativity. We argue that environmental novelty evokes interest, fostering cognitive flexibility and enhancing creativity. The presentation style of destination inform (statements or questions) impacts cognitive stimulation and creativity. We conducted a field quasi-experiment and four scenario-based experiments and found that a novel environment enhances the flexibility dimension of creativity, but not originality, through interest and cognitive flexibility. In addition, presenting information in a question style sparks cognitive stimulation and increases originality. The results provide valuable implications for tourists seeking to enhance creativity and for destination management organizations developing novel travel experiences that incorporate thought-provoking questions into their information presentation.