Tourism as a Pathway to the Good Life: Comparing the Top-Down and Bottom-Up Effects

This research examined the relationships among tourism, well-being, and novelty-seeking as a personality trait based on the top-down and bottom-up theories of well-being. A structural model that includes a direct effect of novelty-seeking on life satisfaction (top-down influence) and an indirect effect through tourism experiences (bottom-up influence) were proposed and tested using a sample of 556 American residents. Results showed that novelty-seekers were well aware of travel benefits and traveled more frequently. It was also found that the top-down influence of novelty-seeking on life satisfaction was significantly greater than the bottom-up influence. These findings highlight the crucial role of personality as a predictor of well-being as well as the importance of applying positive psychology principles to further enhance the potential contribution of tourism experiences to tourists' well-being.