Mere Exposure Effect on Travel Intention of Educated Young People in Asia: Results From a Cross-Country Survey

Abstract

Drawing on mere exposure effect, we proposed that more exposure to a city, as measured by the number of channels of exposure, would increase familiarity, city image, and intention to visit that city. We conducted a survey of university students in seven Asian countries, asking them about a total of 14 cities, at least one from each of the surveyed countries. Exposure was found to be a significant antecedent and was most powerful when mediated by familiarity. Some types of exposure were stronger than others. Personal exposure, in the form of having visited a city or knowing someone who has, was the strongest type of exposure, with more than double the effect of media exposure. Social media, which is difficult to classify as either personal or media, was assessed separately and had a much smaller effect. The mere exposure effect exists whether the intention to visit a city is related to pleasure (tourism) or business.