2. Literature Review
2.1 Conceptualising the Visitor Experience
Experience is a broad concept that reflects aspects of daily life and may therefore be interpreted from either within or from outside the management science perspective (Caru & Cova, 2003). Highmore (2002) views experience as relevant to two different states: the moment-by-moment lived experience, and the after experience which is subject to reflection and prescribed meaning. Consistent with this view, Larsen (2007) asserts that experience can be categorised into two. One focuses on what happens here and now in a specific situation, whilst the other one highlights an accumulation over a period of time. Pine and Gilmore (1999), the originators of the term ‘experience economy’, state that experiences occur within a person who is engaged with an event at a physical, emotional, intellectual or even spiritual level, and is left with memorable impressions.
Considering the growing importance of the experiential aspect of product consumption, Caru and Cova (2003) declare that the concept of experience is a key element in understanding consumption behaviours. Moreover, from an experiential perspective, the consumption experience is no longer limited to some pre-purchase or post-purchase activities, but involves additional activities which influence consumer decisions and future actions. This indicates that the consumption experience is spread out over time and can be divided into several stages of experience (Caru & Cova, 2003).