The relevance of neuromarketing in tourism: literature review

Abstract

The behaviour and decisions of the human being are influenced by the rational part but also by the emotional part of the brain. Traditional information methods such as quantitative (eg: survey questionnaires) and qualitative (eg: survey interviews, focus groups) may not be sufficient since our emotions are often unconscious. Since emotion is intimately linked to certain areas in the brain, techniques that allow us to know this organ provide more accurate and objective data to understand these behaviours. Neuromarketing can help with such information, by studying the brain through the tools of neuroscience, and contribute to a deeper and more accurate knowledge of the tourist’s emotional and cognitive processes. This article reviews the literature on the relationship between neuromarketing and tourism in order to understand how and to what extent neuromarketing has been studied in the field of tourism. It is also intended to provide information on the knowledge gaps in this area as well as to chart ways for future research. A conclusion drawn from this literature review is that research focused on this subject is still not well developed and more empirical research is needed on this relationship.