TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE DESIGN: EXPLORING THE SUPPLY-SIDE PERSPECTIVE IN THE THEME PARK CONTEXT

This study investigates how hedonic tourism activities can facilitate personal transformation, particularly in the context of mass tourism. Focusing on theme parks, which draw millions of visitors annually, the research explores the design elements that can foster visitor transformation. The study aims to uncover the design elements embedded in the creation of these activities and the effects they intend to foster in visitors, answering the research question: How do theme park design practices contribute to transformative tourism experiences? This question is significant given the limited empirical work connecting experience design and transformative tourism from the supplier perspective. Using a qualitative compressed ethnography, data were collected through participant observation and 34 semi-structured interviews with theme park designers and academics. The data were analyzed using a three-step theoretical coding process, which enabled the identification of themes and relationships within the participants' perspectives. The findings revealed that physical stimuli play a significant role in the intentional design of transformative experiences, a factor that has often been overlooked. Moreover, unexplored pathways for personal transformation emerged from the data. These findings enhance theoretical knowledge on transformative tourism by extending the research context to include hedonic activities, expanding the conceptual model beyond existential and transformative learning perspectives. A new type of transformative tourism was conceptualized: invitational transformation, which occurs within commercial, unexpected, and co-created contexts, such as theme parks. This study also contributes to the body of tourism experiences by developing a typology of design elements to inform the production of physical, affective, and cognitive stimuli in these activities, identifying new concepts and components related to the contexts, activities, and emotions associated with individual transformation. This study addresses the rise of experiential offers, offering practical guidance for tourism practitioners to design activities that both entertain and facilitate tourist transformation.