VACATIONERS’ NOVELTY
Since novelty is related to past experiences, what is novel to one person may very well be familiar to the next. According to Welker (1961), novelty can be described as a relative and experiential concept, in which the strength or degree of familiarity of a stimulus depends upon the recency of past exposure. A direct relationship has also been found between novelty and exploratory behavior. According to Berlyne (1966), environments perceived as more novel, are more apt to increase one’s arousal and curiosity, than environments perceived as less novel. Results of his research found that individuals spent more time exploring novel stimuli, than those previously experienced. He further found that a moderate level of novelty is preferred, as its extreme levels discourage exploratory behavior. Similarly, Wahlers and Etzel (1985) found that vacationers who seek stimulation are more apt to prefer a destination characterized as invigorating and/or innovative, while those avoiding stimulation prefer destinations described as structured and/or enriching.
How much novelty one seeks in a destination is likely to relate to their preferred state of arousal. According to Mehrabian and Russell (1974), the amount of arousal perceived in various settings is related to the novelty, complexity, variability, and stimulus intensity within them. Similarly, Zuckerman (1971) argued that tourists are genetically different in the amount of novelty that they desire. Therefore, tourists partaking of the exact same tourism activity will often experience differing degrees of novelty. Both Mehrabian and Russell (1974) and Zuckerman (1971) argue that the measurement of individuals’ preferred state of arousal (arousal seeking tendency) should be determined in order to explain variations in choice of preferred environments.
In order to assist with this measurement, Mehrabian and Russell (1974) developed the “arousal seeking scale,” and Zuckerman (1971) developed the “sensation seeking scale.” Both were developed through factor analysis, with the former consisting of five factors (risk, arousal from change, unusual stimuli, sensuality, and new environments) and the latter including four factors (thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility).
A more often utilized framework for examining the arousal seeking tendency (novelty) was developed by Cohen (1972).