Purpose This study investigates the conceptual and methodological intersection between tourism research and neuroscience, examining how neuroscience-based techniques can extend the explanatory power of traditional self-report approaches. While surveys and interviews have generated substantial insights into tourist perceptions and emotions, they remain limited in capturing unconscious and moment-to-moment experiential processes. The study aims to explore tourism scholars’ perceptions of neuroscience methods and to develop a theoretically grounded framework explaining their potential integration into experience-oriented tourism research. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative research design grounded in the technology acceptance model (TAM), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 internationally active tourism scholars. Participants were purposively selected based on their engagement with methodological innovation and familiarity with neuroscience applications. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Findings were structured around TAM dimensions, including perceived usefulness, ease of use, behavioral intention and external institutional factors shaping adoption tendencies. Findings The findings indicate that tourism academics widely recognize the analytical and conceptual value of neuroscience methods such as electroencephalography, eye-tracking, galvanic skin response and facial expression analysis. These tools are perceived as particularly useful in overcoming social desirability bias and retrospective recall limitations by capturing real-time cognitive and emotional responses. However, adoption intentions remain conditional and selective, shaped by institutional infrastructure, methodological literacy, interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities and uncertainties within publication and ethical governance cultures. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by its qualitative scope and a relatively small sample of tourism scholars, which may restrict generalizability across the wider academic community. Future research should expand empirical validation through larger-scale quantitative studies and cross-disciplinary comparative designs. Additionally, further work is needed to develop standardized methodological guidelines and training pathways that support rigorous triangulation between neuroscience-based tools and established tourism research methods. Practical implications The study provides actionable insights for universities, research centers and funding bodies seeking to foster methodological innovation in tourism scholarship. Establishing shared laboratory infrastructures, interdisciplinary research teams and targeted training programs can reduce barriers to adoption. For tourism practitioners, neuroscience-informed evidence can enhance experience design, destination marketing and service interaction strategies by offering deeper understanding of tourists’ real-time emotional and cognitive engagement beyond stated preferences. Social implications By enabling more accurate measurement of affective and subconscious responses, neuroscience methods can contribute to more inclusive and ethically sensitive tourism experience design. Improved understanding of emotional well-being, stress and engagement may support the development of tourism environments that better respond to diverse visitor needs. However, the collection of physiological data also raises critical concerns regarding privacy, informed consent and ethical governance, requiring robust regulatory frameworks and responsible academic practice. Originality/value This study contributes original qualitative evidence on tourism scholars’ adoption perceptions of neuroscience-based methods and positions these techniques as complementary rather than substitutive tools within a triangulated methodological framework. By integrating TAM with methodological innovation debates, the study proposes a theoretically grounded perspective on how neuroscience methods can be systematically incorporated into tourism research. It advances interdisciplinary discussions on the future evolution of experience-oriented tourism scholarship.
Tören et al. (Wed,) studied this question.