Cognitive appraisal theory, memorable tourism experiences, and family cohesion in rural travel

To investigate tourism’s positive influence on family relationships, existing literature has focused on “travel activities,” ignoring the cognitive and emotional effects of travel experiences. This study adopts cognitive appraisal theory and memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) to examine emotional influences of rural travel on family cohesion. Based on a survey of 250 family tourists engaging in rural travel in South Korea, this study shows the MTEs’ positive effect on family cohesion. The results also suggest that involvement has the strongest effect; arousal and meaningfulness have a similarly significant effect; novelty has a relatively weak effect; and refreshment has no significant effect.