International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality ResearchMake it memorable: customer experiences in winter amusement parksTerje Slåtten Christian Krogh Steven Connolley

Article information:To cite this document:Terje Slåtten Christian Krogh Steven Connolley, (2011),"Make it memorable: customer experiences in winter amusement parks",International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 5 Iss 1 pp. 80 - 91Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181111111780

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Make it memorable: customer experiencesin winter amusement parks

Terje Slatten, Christian Krogh and Steven Connolley

Abstract

Purpose – This empirical study aims to investigate the potential of customer experiences in the tourism

industry to influence emotions and thus create positive mental imprints.

Design/methodology/approach – This investigation tests a conceptual model for what leaves positive

mental imprints and analyzes the results of the survey to test the hypotheses. Further, the rather

uncommon setting, a winter amusement park in Norway, helps to increase the external validity.

Findings – One interesting discovery with practical implications for management is that both ambience

factors – light, sound, and smells – and interaction among customers have significance for customers’

positive emotions.

Research limitations/implications – There is a need for further research to clarify the distinction

between design and ambience factors.

Practical implications – Both ambience and interaction between customers are very important for

successfully providing positive customer experiences.

Originality/value – Responding to the need to focus on the different aspects relating to customer

experiences and emotions within the framework of tourism, this study tests an original model in an

uncommon setting, thus contributing to the external validity of these claims.

Keywords Customers, Experience, Theme parks, Norway

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

The production of customer experiences within the tourism sector is decisive for positively

influencing customers’ emotions. This point is difficult to overstate. Emphasizing that the

emotional component is a natural part of what a tourism experience comprises, Otto and

Ritchie (1996, p. 168) observe, ‘‘Perhaps more than any other service industry, tourism holds

the potential to elicit strong emotional and experiential reactions by consumer’’. Other

authors also stress this fundamental element of tourism. Williams (2006) argues, for instance,

that the product that tourism providers offer always has close links to the customer

experience. The claim, then, that such customer experiences are critical for suppliers of

tourism experiences has a strong foundation because the customer can understand these

experiences to be the core product (the bundle of memories, as it were, they take away with

them). Consequently, customer experiences constitute a crucial factor that influences the

customers’ willingness to repeat the experience or to recommend it to friends or colleagues.

Research emphasizes that customer experiences that influence a person emotionally are of

a special kind because of they have a tendency to be stored especially well in memory.

Experiences of this nature leave, as Johnston and Clark (2001) term, ‘‘mental imprints,’’

which accurately emphasizes the close link of these types of experiences to the arousal of

emotions.

PAGE 80 j INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH j VOL. 5 NO. 1 2011, pp. 80-91, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182 DOI 10.1108/17506181111111780

Terje Slatten,

Christian Krogh and

Steven Connolley are all

based at Lillehammer

University College,

Lillehammer, Norway.

Received: July 2009Revised: January 2010Accepted: January 2010

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This article aims to identify which customer experiences have the potential to influence

emotions and thus create positive mental imprints. Previous studies (Bigne et al., 2005;

Duman and Mattila, 2005; McGoldrick and Pieros, 1998) rightly call for a focus on the

different aspects associated with customer experiences and emotions within the framework

of tourism. This present study responds to this call and investigates visitors’ experiences in a

winter park. Within this framework this inquiry focuses on those customer experiences that

have the potential to create mental imprints owing to the fact that the experience itself

generates positive emotions.

Research background and hypotheses

Suppliers in the travel and tourism industry are intent on creating customer experiences that

create positive emotions and to reduce potential negative emotions. Likewise customers

who purchase tourism experiences are thought to have a preference for choosing

destinations and attractions that both give rise to positive emotions and steer clear from

negative ones. This article highlights the conditions that create positive customer emotions,

and defines positive emotions as an affective state of consciousness in which joy is

experienced.

A winter amusement park in Norway is the frame for this study. This setting provides a

valuable opportunity to test customer experience and customers’ emotions in an uncommon

setting. There are not many winter amusement parks, for most winter tourism destinations

have their chief focus on skiing or other sports. This research, then, seeks to make use of this

park in order to test claims from the literature on the importance of customer experience in a

setting that provides a good contrast. In other words, this study tests these claims under

markedly different conditions in order to uncover whatever similarities and difference there

may be, thus allowing for a consideration of the results with greater precision.

The experiences that a winter park offers are pleasure-driven or hedonic, and thus likely to

induce a range of emotional responses to the experience consumption (Bigne et al., 2005).

Visitors of a winter park are likely to expect experiences that will give them positive emotions.

Because of this expectation, this study labels positive emotions as the core products or goal

that visitors are seeking during their visit at the winter park.

A perusal of the literature reveals that different concepts describe conditions that influence

the customer experience. Gupta and Vajic (1999) use the term ‘‘interaction’’ in an attempt to

describe the different elements that influence the customer experience. Bitner (1992) coins

the term ‘‘servicescape’’ to emphasize the impact of the physical environment in which a

service process takes place, while Mossberg (2007) employs the term ‘‘experience room’’

when describing the customer experience.

This study uses the term ‘‘atmosphere’’ as an overarching term that captures the different

elements that influence a customer experience (Hansen et al., 2005). ‘‘Atmosphere’’

captures both the more solid and inflexible (e.g. buildings) and the less solid and more

flexible (e.g. lighting, sounds, and smells) elements of the customer experience. Drawing

from Heide and Grønhaug (2006), this inquiry divides the concept of atmosphere into three

separate groups: ambience factors, interaction factors, and design factors. This article will

describe and define the different factors at some length, show their internal relevance, and

explain the notion of customer’s positive emotions.

Customer experience and customers’ positive emotions

The ambience factor

The ambience factor links to the customer’s apprehension and perception of the upstage

scenery within a service context (Milliman, 1986). Background elements can include several

different elements, such as odor, temperature, color, air quality, sound, lighting and so forth.

No previous research seems to focus on the effects of ambience factors as a part of the

concept of atmosphere, and certainly not within the winter-park setting. Other suppliers of

services know, however, that, say, creative displays in the sales area influence customers’

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emotions (Sherman et al., 1997). Creating positive ambience elements in a winter park might

be equivalent to setting up creative displays at shopping facilities.

Previous research focuses on the effect of specific ambience factors. In contrast, this

research evaluates a specific ambience factor and the collective effect of different ambience

factors in relation to the customer’s emotions. This report uses three different ambience

factors: sound, lighting, and odor. Most common are studies of ambience factor are on

sound, and they reveal a relatively strong influence on customers. Speed, genre, sound

level, and rhythm of music, for instance, influence how long a guest chooses to stay in a

restaurant and the willingness to pay (Smith and Curnow, 1966).

Appropriate lighting, that is, intensity, location and type of lighting, is another important

ambience factor. Research reveals that strong lighting relates to a lively and playful mood,

while subdued light creates an atmosphere that customers find relaxing, warm, and intimate

(Heide and Grønhaug, 2006).

Even though odor influences customers (e.g. Disney actively use odor as a trigger to

increase food sales), odor seems not to attract much interest among researchers. This

oversight is remarkable considering that previous research document that odor is an

important element of the customer experience. Mattila and Wirtz (2001), for example,

provide evidence that odors influences how the customer evaluates a shop and thus has

an impact on satisfaction. Similarly, Hirsch (1995) gives evidence for the fact that odors

surrounding specific gambling machines influence the willingness to gamble in the

casino.

This study argues that the three ambience factors of sound, lighting, and odor relate to the

customer experience, and thus posits that the adequate design of these three ambience

factors in a winter park influence the customer’s positive emotions. The approach evaluates

their collective effect and, accordingly, this study’s first hypothesis is as follows:

H1. Ambience factors positively influence customers’ emotions.

Interactions

According to Bitner (1992) several dimensions relating to the concept of interaction might

influence the customer experience. Differentiating between three different types of the

interaction is possible. The first one identifies how the customer involves himself or herself by

taking an initiative to participate (e.g. experiencing an amusement ride in a winter park might

presuppose being actively involved). The second one points to the experience the customer

has with other customers (e.g. in the queue or restaurant). The third form of interaction

relates to the meeting with the staff (e.g. when purchasing tickets). A discussion of each of

these types of interactions in a winter park in connection with the customer’s positive

emotions follows.

The customer’s participation in activities

The act of taking part in an activity is an important factor that influences the customer

experience (Schmitt, 1999). However, for the park only to entertain may be insufficient;

indeed, the park should involve the customer to ensure that he or she acquires a positive

experience (Pine and Gilmore, 1998). By ensuring the customer’s participation, the park

creates a situation of co-creation where the customer becomes partly responsible and thus

actively contributes to his or her own experience.

Some authors use the metaphor of a theatre to describe the choice the customer has of

participating actively (on stage) or passively (in the audience). From the leisure industry,

amusement parks, such as Disney MGM, offer relevant examples in which volunteers can

take part on stage in front of an audience and act out a role from a famous movie. Some

customers may perceive this kind of adventure as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Owing to

the perceived effect that participation has for the customer experience, many suppliers

define that their overall objective is to ensure customer participation. In line with this

reasoning, the orientation of the experience industry has shifted significantly away from

catering potential spectators to creating possibilities for participators (Pine and Gilmore,

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1998). Boswijk et al. (2007) even point out that the industry is now in a second phase of

creating experiences of ‘‘co-creation.’’ This perspective takes the individual as its point of

departure and aims at the personal and socio-cultural values that the individual strives to

attain. This study assumes, then, that customer participation influences the customer

experience and positive emotions, and thereby postulates a higher degree of involvement

from the customer increases his or her positive emotions.

H2. Customer participation in activities relates positively with customers’ emotions.

The customer’s interaction with other customers

Within the context of tourism and leisure, the customer often shares the setting together

with other customers. The literature refers to this with terms such as ‘‘social

surroundings,’’ ‘‘customer B’’ or ‘‘service participant’’. What these terms have in

common is the acknowledgement that other customers influence each other’s customer

experience (positive or negative) since they are all a part of the same context. Previous

research explores, for instance, how crowding together influences the total experience.

Results from this research document that, depending on the kind of service (e.g. a music

concert versus a museum), crowding leads to different experiences. Albas and Albas’s

(1989) study reveals that too much eye contact has a negative effect on the customer

experience, and that people also experience frustration if they observe inappropriate

behavior in a queue.

Even though previous research emphasizes the importance of interaction between

customers, a need for more research on this type of interaction seems to exist (Parker and

Ward, 2000). No research tries to clarify the influence of social interaction (with respect to the

customer’s positive emotions) with other customers in a winter-park setting. Such interaction,

however, appears to influence customers’ positive emotions. Sharing the experience with

other customers rather than alone clearly makes a difference (Lovelock, 1996).

H3. The degree of interaction with other customers in a winter park positively affects

customers’ emotions.

The customer’s interaction with employees

Several researchers (Bitner, 1992; Czepiel and Gilmore, 1987) accentuate that the

interaction between the customer and the employee affects the customer experience and

degree of emotional commitment. Accordingly, it is vital that a supplier of services meets or

preferably exceeds the customer’s expectation. The presence of highly qualified service

staff is critical, and a great deal of resources is necessary to ensure this. Disney is a

company that directs much effort into teaching the staff how their interactions should

proceed with customers, and others account for the success of Singapore Airlines by their

superior standard of service (Wirtz et al., 2008).

Even though research show that interaction between customers and employees

influences satisfaction, there are paradoxically only relatively modest attempts to

understand how this form of interaction influences customers’ emotions. The research

focus so far is to focus on the cognitive perspective of satisfaction, and thus overlooks

the emotional aspects (Wong, 2004). Nevertheless, some studies show that interaction

between customers and employees influences customers’ emotions. Arnould and Price’s

(1993) research focus on the extraordinary hedonic experiences with commercial,

multi-day river-rafting shows that the overall satisfaction was a function of positive (and

negative) emotions.

Wong’s (2004) study also demonstrates a relationship between the customer’s perception of

the employees who deliver service quality and customer’s emotions. Especially for a

hedonistic service such as a winter park, interaction between the customers and employees

is crucial for influencing customers’ emotions. In a winter park, customers want to

experience a pleasant atmosphere and entertaining activities, and creating positive

emotions is, therefore, an important aim for the management. Such details as a smile, a

pleasant voice, perceptible empathy, and a friendly approach to customers clearly link to the

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customer’s perception of the experience (Søderlund and Rosengren, 2008; Lundqvist and

Dimberg, 1995). This study, then, holds that a relationship between customers’ perception of

the interaction between employees and customers’ positive emotions exists.

H4. Customers’ perception of their interaction with employees in a winter park relates

positively to customers’ emotions.

Design factors

This study takes design factors to refer to the physical surroundings in the winter park

(Bitner, 1992). One experiences design factors through the senses, in the same manner as

ambience factors (Schmitt, 1999), but design factors differ because they refer to more fixed

aspects in the winter park (e.g. ice sculptures). Researchers such as Kotler (1973, p. 50)

point out the relevance of design in a customer experience, especially when one wants to

create special effects. Design, then, aims to attract attention and to influence the customer

experience. Bitner (1992) also suggests that design affects a person’s emotional response.

Pine and Gilmore (1998) also supports this view by claiming that consistency, enthrallment,

and the ability to touch the senses emotionally characterize effective design. Since this

research has its point of departure in a winter park that offers hedonistic services, the

dimension of design is critical. Apparently, the research on the relationship between design

and the customer’s positive emotions is minimal. This research posits that the optimal design

of a winter park will influence the customer experience positively.

H5. Customers’ perception of design aspects in the winter park relates positively with

customers’ emotions.

Summary of the theoretical model

The main purpose of this study is to use the emotional perspective as a basis for

understanding customer experience. This study, then, is a contribution to an area of study

where several researchers emphasize the need for further research (Bigne et al., 2005;

Cronin, 2003; Wong, 2004). Previous studies apparently focus on the fixed and inflexible

aspects and how they influence the customer experience. In contrast to previous studies,

this research extends the frame to include the more flexible aspects and their relative

influence on customer experience. The overarching concept with which this research views

the customer experience is ‘‘atmosphere,’’ which comprises three separate groups:

ambience, interaction, and design factors (Heide and Grønhaug, 2006).

A lack of research exists on the effects of the atmosphere and customers’ emotions within

tourism and leisure settings (McGoldrick and Pieros, 1998). This present study chooses,

therefore, a winter park as a research ground. Figure 1 summarizes the discussions above

and aims at showing the different relationships between the different integral concepts of

this study. Figure 1 illustrates the assumption of a positive relationship between all the

different aspects that constitute the customer experience with the atmosphere in the winter

park and the customer’s positive emotions.

Empirical study

Method

A study of a winter park is ideal for the focus on customer atmospheric experiences and their

relationship to customers’ positive emotions for three reasons. First, the park is appropriate

because it makes it possible to study explicitly how customers perceive different

atmospheric experiences during a visit. Second, the operations of the winter park have a

hedonic nature and the ability to generate the customers’ emotions. Previous research

emphasize that hedonic attractions are appropriate when the aim is to study emotional

reactions in customers (Otto and Ritchie, 1996; Vittersø et al., 2000). Third, the winter park

offers an excellent opportunity to address the need for further research on the effects of

atmosphere on consumers’ emotions when experiencing tourism attractions (McGoldrick

and Pieros, 1998).

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The Winter Park is in the eastern part of Norway. Inside the park there are several attractions

– shows, restaurants and shops – for both children and adults. Some examples of what the

winter park offers to its customers are snow rafting, quad bikes (ATVs), horse sleighs,

gladiator matches (with two persons trying to push each other down from wooden beams

which they sit on), a high-ropes course (where one can participate in activities such as

climbing and rappelling), ice bowling, and miniature snowmobiles. In the middle of the park

there is an elegantly lit ice hotel where visitors can spend the night. The hotel also has an ice

cathedral and an ice restaurant. The hotel is near a huge fairytale palace where visitors can

see characters from the Norwegian folktales. Everywhere in the park are lights of different

colors, bonfires burning birch wood, flambeaux, and various odors (e.g. the smell of freshly

baked Norwegian waffles and other food) from the outdoor cafes located in different places

around the park. Every night the park celebrates with magnificent fireworks, fantastic

creations of lighting accompanied by majestic music. Owing to the descriptions of different

attractions and activities in this winter park, this study assumes that the winter park is a

suitable context for the study of customer atmospheric experiences and of how such

experiences relate to customers’ positive emotions.

The survey took place during the opening season of the winter park, from January to March

2008. The collection of all data took place at the end of the evening, around closing time, to

ensure that all customers had been in the park for a sufficient amount of time and thus with

enough experience of the winter park to participate as key informants in the survey. Each

respondent received a brief introduction to the aim of the study and understood that their

responses would be kept anonymous.

In total, the collected data was from 162 customers through personal interviews. The sample

was 55 percent male and the mean age was 36. Only 10 percent of the customers had

visited the park on other occasions. About 40 percent of the respondents reported that they

lived in the eastern part of Norway, and the average number of travelling companions

ranged from two to five persons. Only 3.2 percent respondents visited the winter park alone,

Figure 1 Conceptual model of this study

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which clearly indicates that people prefer to visit the winter park along with others (e.g. family

and friends).

Measures

This study employed a structured questionnaire for this study, and developed most of the

questions from previous research reported in literature. This study also adopted and

modified the measures of ambience from Schmitt (1999). The study by Hightower et al.

(2002) was the inspiration for the measures related to the two types of interaction. Drawing

from Mossberg (2007), this study developed the questions related to design. Both Richins

(1997) and Sweeney and Soutar (2001) were indispensable for the items developed to

measure positive emotions. One expert, moreover, evaluated both the suggested questions

and the questionnaire that was developed. In addition, before the interviews were carried out

in full scale, a pre-test of the questionnaire for content validity took place. The expert’s and

the pre-test respondents’ comments led to the rewording of some questions for the sake of

improving both validity and clarity.

Results and analysis

Before performing regression analysis to test the hypotheses, this study checked the items

and scales for normality and validity. The results showed satisfactory properties for all the

constructs in the study. Table I shows the descriptive statistics, means, standard deviations,

and correlations for all constructs.

Regression analysis

The analysis conducted a regression of the dependent variable of positive emotions against

the independent variables. Table II shows results that support for four of the five hypotheses,

revealing that interaction with other customers is the most important factor for eliciting

customers’ positive emotions. Moreover, the results show that customers’ participation in

activities is the second most important factor influencing customers’ positive emotions. In

summary, with respect to the aim of this study, the direct effect of the different types of

Table I Descriptive statistics, means, standard deviations, and correlations for major variables

Construct Min Max Mean SD a PE Amb Part Intcus Intemp Des

PE 1 7 5.22 1.49 0.70 1.00Amb 1 7 5.46 1.13 0.66 0.28* 1.00Part 1 7 4.93 1.33 0.73 0.40* 0.43* 1.00Intcus 1 7 5.00 1.85 a 0.40* 0.18* 0.46* 1.00Intemp 1 7 5.86 1.26 a 0.28* 0.13* 0.20* 0.25* 1.00Des 1 7 5.63 1.45 0.77 0.20* 0.51* 0.34* 0.19* 0.25* 1.00

Notes: a Only one item for this construct

* Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (two-tailed)PE¼ Positive emotions; Amb ¼ Ambience; Part ¼ Participation in activities; Intcus ¼ Interaction with customers; Des ¼ Design

Table II Results of the testing of ambience, participation in activities, interaction with other

customers, customers and employees, and design as antecedents to customers’

positive emotions

Types of customer experiences for eliciting positive emotions b-coefficients

H1. Ambience 0.14H2. Participation in activities 0.26H3. Interaction with other customers 0.44H4. Interaction between customers and employees 0.12H5. Design 0.08 not significantAdjusted R Square 0.50

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customer experiences explains 49.7 percent of what elicits customers’ positive emotions,

which is substantial.

Discussion

This research contributes to the call for more investigation of aspects that influence the

customer experience, and more specifically, what influences the customers’ emotions within

a tourism setting (see Bigne et al., 2005). The focus here is on what extent certain factors

influence customers’ positive emotions, specifically those reflecting the customers’

perception of aspects of ambience and the degree of customer participation in activities,

design, and interaction with other customers and staff.

Lazarus (1991) claims that emotions have a basis in human beings’ perception of their

surroundings, and this research supports this statement. Four of the five dependent

variables have a direct relationship with customers’ positive emotions. Consequently, this

research adds support to previous research emphasizing service suppliers’ having a strong

focus on how customers experience different aspects of the companies’ atmosphere (e.g.

Heide and Grønhaug, 2006; McGoldrick and Pieros, 1998; Pine and Gilmore, 1998; Schmitt,

1999). This inquiry also provides evidence for Bagozzi’s (1992) general framework, which

illustrates how subjective experiences link closely with a person’s emotional responses. Two

elements were relevant for this study:

1. Subjective experiences (which refer to customer experiences, comprising each of the

three elements that encompass the concept of atmosphere).

2. Emotional response (the focus on customers’ positive emotions).

The study finds that the interaction with other customers influences positive emotions.

Previous research points out that the interactions between customers who share the same

context are crucial (Bitner, 1992). Although several studies examine various contexts in order

to examine interactions between customers, this study appears to be unique in studying

interactions between customers and customers’ positive emotions in a setting as uncommon

as a winter amusement park, which offers the opportunity to further claims of external

validity. Among the five explanatory variables in this research, the variable dealing with

interaction with other customers shows the strongest influence on customers’ positive

emotions. This result emphasizes the relative importance of emotional aspects when people

share the same environment. This finding bolsters Lovelock’s (1996) argument that the

presence of other customers might create a good atmosphere and might thereby influence

the customer experience.

This study confirms Pine and Gilmore’s (1998) claim that entertaining the customer is not

sufficient; the supplier must endeavor to involve the customer in the activities. The

explanatory variable of ‘‘participation in activities’’ is the second strongest influential factor

influencing the customers’ positive emotions. The findings support previous studies that

indicate the importance of customers’ participation in relation to their personal experiences.

Zeithaml et al. (1996) state that the customer plays a central role in delivering products that

integrate a large element of service. The authors claim, furthermore, that customers in these

types of service products are to a large degree responsible for creating their own

satisfaction. Suppliers of such products often encounter limits when facilitating and inviting

the customer into active participation and thus the customer is free to choose his or her

degree of involvement. This study demonstrates that customers who choose to participate

experience a personal benefit by attaining positive emotions as a result of the visit.

Not surprisingly, this research shows a positive relationship on customers’ positive emotions

when there is interaction between employees and customers. This finding supports research

by Bitner (1992) and Czepiel and Gilmore (1987). These authors all claim that the interaction

between people influences the customer experience. What is noteworthy, however, is that

the effect is relatively less important than the previous explanatory variables. One possible

explanation might relate to two aspects of the actual setting and structure of a winter park (in

contrast to, say, a ski resort). The activities the winter park offers are self-explanatory and

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customers require no further instruction. When encounters occur, they often do not take

much time (e.g. buying a ticket). Thus, both the frequencies of interactions and the

timeframe of each interaction will normally be limited. These factors can explain the relatively

low influence of this kind of interaction. Therefore, the interaction between employees and

customers clearly influences customers’ positive emotions, but special attributes of the

winter park suggest that the importance of time with respect to this dimension.

Apparently, no previous research attempts to test the effect of ambience factors such as

smell, sound, and lighting with respect to customers’ positive emotions within the unusual

setting of a winter park. Previous studies test to a large degree customers’ perception of

these ambience factors for other types of services (such as within the retail trade). The

findings show that the ambience factors influence customers’ positive emotions also within a

winter park setting. This research adds support to literature that argues ambience factors

are important for customers’ emotions (e.g. Sherman et al., 1997). What is of special interest

is that ambience factors are relatively more important to customers’ positive emotions than

interaction between employees and customers. The conclusion from this inquiry is that

designers of winter parks should emphasize ambience factors and in order to facilitate

positive customer experiences. More generally, this study suggests that when certain

destinations, owing to their structure, tend to have limited interactions between the staff and

customers, the ambience must play an even greater role.

Surprisingly, design did not show significant support as an explanatory variable for

customers’ positive emotions. This study defines design as the physical structure of the

winter park, which includes both permanent and non-permanent (a church and a hotel made

of ice) buildings. Previous research document that design does influence customers’

emotions (see Bitner, 1992). This research, however, shows conflicting results with reference

to the relative importance of design. One must note, however, that it is premature to dismiss

previous conclusions on the importance of design on the customers’ experience. One

possible reason for design not having a significant value is this variable’s close relationship

with ambience factors. The senses perceive both of these explanatory variables, and thus an

interpretation of design as a different dimension of the concept ambience is possible. Future

research should attempt to clarify whether or not a direct or indirect relationship exists

between design and customers’ positive emotions.

Managerial implications and conclusions

Several researchers stress the great importance of creating and maintaining the competitive

advantage so that the experience is memorable (Pine and Gilmore, 1998; Yelkur, 2000).

Suppliers can ensure this advantage by creating ‘‘mental imprints’’ in the customers’

memory, and a condition for creating such ‘‘imprints’’ is for the experience to touch the

customer emotionally (Johnston and Clark, 2001). In this respect, the tourism and leisure

industry is far better able than the traditional service sector to touch customers’ emotions

(Otto and Ritchie, 1996).

This study emphasizes some important implications for management of winter parks

specifically, and for management in amusement parks generally. A general implication for

management is that the collection of information on how customers experience the service

must account for emotions. This information makes possible the identification both of the

positive emotions and of the aspects that create ‘‘mental imprints.’’

A questionnaire asking customers to express which emotions best describe the experience

and to grade them internally can provide this information. This present research focuses on

positive emotions but also clarifies possible negative ones that could alert management of

areas requiring adjustments and improvements in order to secure quality of the total service

offer.

Today’s service suppliers compete with each other on the basis of creating exceptional

customer experiences (Berry et al., 2002). Companies must orchestrate or organize positive

customer experiences that touch customers emotionally (Haeckel et al., 2003).

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The present article points out that customers’ interaction with other customers is one factor

that influences customers’ positive emotions. On the basis of this research, management

should arrange for meeting points that could contribute to the interaction between

customers.

These meeting points can be either active (e.g. physical activities that the service supplier

offers, such as ice curling or ice bowling) or passive (e.g. sleigh riding or snow scooter safari

in a winter park). By designing appropriate active and passive meeting points, a winter park

increases the degree of interaction among customers, which in turn raises customers’

positive emotions and thus strengthens the customer experience. A second important

implication of this study is the importance of ensuring that the customer participates in

activities. This research result shows that customer participation is the second most

important cause when explaining customers’ positive emotions. The design and

organization of activities that appear to be attractive and not too challenging contribute to

an important success factor for increasing positive emotions. The failure to combine these

two dimensions (attractiveness and appropriate level of challenge) could lead to negative

customer experiences and emotions. On the basis of this finding, one practical implication is

that management must ensure that the winter park offers a broad variety of activities. This

research indicates that the interaction between employees and customers influences

customers’ positive emotions. Even though the effect of this type of interaction is relatively

low (according to the multiple regression analyses), that employees contribute to creating

‘‘mental imprints’’ is evident.

This present study thus points out that management must continue to train, reward, and

motivate employees in an adequate manner. In other words management must focus on

employees’ degree of satisfaction. Research show that circumstances relating to working

conditions do influence the degree of service quality (Singh, 2000; Slatten, 2008, 2009).

Ambience factors have significance for customers’ positive emotions. This research shows

that sound, lighting, and aroma influences customers’ positive emotions. Consequently, the

focus on how management can assemble these ambience factors to ensure the best

possible customer experience is critical. One possible procedure is to make adjustments to

the overall environment and to evaluate what effect these changes have on the customers’

attitude and buying behavior. Customers should afterwards have the opportunity to express

their opinions on the different aspects of the park and how they evaluate sound, lighting, and

other ambience factors.

The conclusions of this research emphasize the importance of understanding customers’

emotions within a tourism and leisure context. Among the five causal variables, this study

shows that four have a direct relationship with customers’ positive emotions. Accordingly,

the ability of service suppliers to create ‘‘mental imprints’’ forms the basis of their ability to

surpass their competitors (Pine and Gilmore, 1998; Prahalad and Ramaswany, 2000;

Schmitt, 1999). Management must, then, design the service offer in such a way that it

contributes positively to the customers’ experiences and insist that all relevant factors have a

positive influence on the customers’ emotions.

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Corresponding author

Terje Slatten can be contacted at: terje.slatten@hil.no

VOL. 5 NO. 1 2011 j INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH j PAGE 91

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