ENGINEERING THE TOURISM EXPERIENCE THROUGH SENSORY MARKETING: A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR ENHANCING BRAND LOYALTY

Abstract

The contemporary hospitality sector confronts an existential challenge manifested in service commoditization and the erosion of competitive advantages predicated on tangible assets. Within this context, this study aims to deconstruct the dialectical relationship between the rigidity of engineering design and the fluidity of emotional experience. It constructs an integrated theoretical model incorporatingTourism Experience Engineering(as an environmental stimulus) andSensory Marketing(as a psychological processing mechanism) to predictBrand Loyalty.

Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the study posits that the engineering structure of service remains insufficient for generating sustainable emotional loyalty unless activated through channels of sensory perception. Empirically conducted on a sample of 450 luxury hotel guests, and employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the results demonstrated that Sensory Marketing plays a pivotal role as an integrative mediator. It functions as a strategic catalyst, shifting customer evaluation from functional satisfaction (rational) to affective attachment (irrational).

The study concludes that "Engineering-Sensory Resonance" constitutes the new determinant of market leadership. Consequently, it recommends that decision-makers adopt sensory embodiment strategies to curate memories imprinted in the tourist's subconscious, transcending spatiotemporal boundaries.