Emotional solidarity shapes host and guest place attachment through memorable experience in the VFR context

With increased human mobilities and the significance of visiting friends and relatives (VFR), the psychological mechanisms of VFR have yet to be fully explored, especially in terms of how pre-existing interpersonal bonds translate into place attachment through joint experience. This study enriches extant knowledge on place attachment through consideration of emotional solidarity and memorable experience in VFR. The survey data were collected from 470 VFR host-guest pairs in the context of South Korea and analyzed using PLS-based structural equation modeling. Results indicate that, in VFR settings, where pre-visit relationships are often established, and host-guest interactions frequently take precedence over conventional tourism activities, emotional solidarity significantly shapes place attachment through memorable experience. The study emphasizes the importance of unique, engaging, and differentiated VFR experiences and theoretically extends place attachment theory by showing its formation through the lens of emotional solidarity and memorable experience. It also extends the application of emotional solidarity by demonstrating how established interpersonal connections and VFR foster place attachment and behavioral intentions.