Beyond the correlation between tourist eudaimonic and hedonic experiences: necessary condition analysis

Abstract

This study aims to theoretically and methodologically contribute to tourism research by testing the philosophical assumption that hedonia is a necessary condition of eudaimonia in the context of tourist experiences. Based on a review of existing literature, four tourist eudaimonic elements were selected for this study, including meaning, self-connectedness, accomplishment, and personal expressiveness. In addition, four hedonic elements were selected, including positive affect, negative affect, carefreeness, and hedonic enjoyment. The results statistically confirm that tourist hedonic experiences are necessary-but-not-sufficient for eudaimonic experiences. Contrary to our theoretical assumption, however, (low) negative affect could not be positioned as a necessary condition of eudaimonic experiences in tourists. This study empirically supports the necessary-sufficient relationship between hedonia and eudaimonia in the context of tourism. It contributes methodologically to the existing literature by testing the necessity condition between tourism-related constructs in a statistically rigorous way with a newly developed analysis method.