In the evolving domain of tourism psychology, a groundbreaking study by Yang, Ying, and Chen is reshaping our understanding of how the nuanced interplay of social perceptions impacts tourists’ decisions to return to a destination. Published in the 2025 volume of BMC Psychology, this pivotal research delves deep into the concept of interactional justice differentiation and its consequential role in shaping tourists’ revisit intentions. By anchoring their investigation within the frameworks of tourism experience quality, tourist loyalty, and tourist tolerance, the study provides a sophisticated analysis of the psychological mechanisms underpinning repeat tourism behaviors, a topic of immense relevance to the global travel industry.
Interactional justice, traditionally explored within organizational behavior and social psychology, refers to the perceived fairness in interpersonal interactions, particularly the degree of respect, dignity, and honesty experienced during exchanges. Yang and colleagues uniquely extend this concept into the tourism context, examining how differential treatment—or interactional justice differentiation—between tourists by service providers and locals influences tourists’ perceptions and, subsequently, their intentions to revisit. This approach marks a significant advance from surface-level customer satisfaction metrics to a more granular understanding of the social-emotional dimensions embedded in tourism experiences.
The authors postulate that interactional justice differentiation can either enhance or erode the quality of the tourism experience. Quality here transcends conventional criteria such as amenities and convenience, instead encompassing the tourists’ psychological and emotional responses to interpersonal treatment. Positive interactional justice experiences contribute to a coherent and gratifying tourism encounter, fostering a sense of being valued and respected. Conversely, perceptions of inequitable treatment can lead to dissatisfaction, disappointment, and the erosion of emotional attachment to the destination.
Crucial to this theoretical framework is the mediating role of tourist loyalty, conceptualized as a sustained commitment to revisit a particular destination despite the availability of alternatives. The study underscores that tourist loyalty is not solely a function of tangible service quality but is intricately linked to the fairness perceived in social interactions. Loyal tourists are theorized to be more forgiving of occasional service lapses, provided they have experienced fair and respectful treatment overall, which propels them towards repeat visits and positive word-of-mouth endorsements.
The research also introduces the parameter of tourist tolerance, referring to visitors’ willingness to overlook or accommodate certain negative experiences without it derailing their overall satisfaction or future intentions. Tourist tolerance appears to be modulated by prior experiences of interactional justice. The authors suggest that tourists who perceive fair treatment develop greater tolerance levels, effectively increasing their resilience against minor injustices or service inconsistencies encountered during their visit.
Methodologically, the study employed a multi-phase quantitative design, incorporating survey data from a diverse cohort of tourists across various international destinations. Sophisticated statistical techniques were applied to model the relationships among interactional justice differentiation, tourism experience quality, tourist loyalty, and tourist tolerance. The robust sample size and methodological rigor lend compelling empirical support to the proposed conceptual framework.
One of the study’s main contributions lies in elucidating the mechanisms through which interactional justice differentiation influences revisit intentions. The findings suggest a pathway where interactional justice positively impacts the perceived quality of the tourism experience, which then elevates tourist loyalty and increases tolerance towards occasional service failures, collectively fortifying the likelihood of revisits. This sequential relationship emphasizes the integrated nature of cognitive and affective responses within the tourism domain.
The implications of this research are manifold for stakeholders in the tourism sector, including destination marketers, service personnel, and policymakers. By highlighting the critical role of interpersonal treatment and fairness perceptions, the study advocates for enhanced staff training programs that prioritize empathetic and equitable interactions with tourists. Such initiatives can foster emotional bonds and loyalty, thereby triggering sustainable tourism growth through repeat visitation.
Another potent insight from the research pertains to managing tourist expectations and enhancing tolerance levels. A nuanced understanding that loyalty can buffer against adverse experiences opens avenues for tourism managers to craft communication strategies that build tourists’ trust and patience, ultimately reducing negative impacts from inevitable service disruptions or cultural misunderstandings.
Moreover, the study’s focus on interactional justice differentiation raises important questions about cultural competence and inclusivity within tourism services. Given that interactional justice perceptions are culturally contingent, service providers must calibrate their approaches to the diversity of tourist backgrounds, ensuring equitable treatment across all visitor demographics to maximize revisit intentions and overall destination reputation.
This research also challenges conventional marketing narratives that predominantly emphasize tangible attributes of destinations. It shifts the spotlight towards the experiential and relational dimensions, urging a redefinition of tourism quality metrics that incorporate social and psychological fairness parameters. Such a paradigm shift can spur innovation in service design and cross-cultural engagement, enriching the depth and authenticity of tourism experiences.
Notably, the study’s insights extend beyond the immediate tourism context, interfacing with broader social psychological theories on justice, loyalty, and tolerance. By bridging these disciplines, Yang and colleagues provide a holistic lens to understand consumer behavior in experiential industries marked by high interpersonal contact and emotional investment.
Future research directions inspired by this study might explore how digital and virtual interactions—growing elements within tourism through apps, platforms, and virtual tours—mediate perceptions of interactional justice and affect revisit intentions. Understanding justice differentiation in digitally mediated experiences could unlock new strategies for enhancing tourist satisfaction in an increasingly technology-driven world.
Additionally, longitudinal studies tracking tourists’ revisits over extended periods would enrich the temporal dynamics of loyalty and tolerance as moderated by interactional fairness. Investigating differences among various tourist typologies, such as first-time versus repeat visitors or leisure versus business tourists, could refine the application of the theoretical model.
In conclusion, the pioneering work of Yang, Ying, and Chen offers a nuanced, empirically substantiated framework that illuminates the subtle yet powerful role of interactional justice differentiation in driving tourists’ revisit decisions. By interlacing psychological constructs with pragmatic tourism industry challenges, their study not only advances academic discourse but also delivers actionable insights for enhancing destination competitiveness and tourist satisfaction in a globally interconnected world.
Subject of Research: The influence of interactional justice differentiation on tourists’ revisit intentions, focusing on the mediating roles of tourism experience quality, tourist loyalty, and tourist tolerance.
Article Title: How does interactional justice differentiation influence tourists’ revisit intention: the roles of tourism experience quality, tourist loyalty, and tourist tolerance.
Article References:
Yang, H., Ying, Y. & Chen, R. How does interactional justice differentiation influence tourists’ revisit intention: the roles of tourism experience quality, tourist loyalty, and tourist tolerance. BMC Psychol 13, 1184 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03528-9
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