Can Personality Influence People’s Intention to Cruise? The Role of Personality in Chinese Propensity for Cruising

Understanding the effects of tourists’ personality characteristics on cruise-related decision making is vital to the development of cruise tourism but remains unexplored. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among tourists’ personality traits, emotions, and cruising intentions. Two rounds of online surveys were conducted in Mainland China (N = 2400). Results reveal the major role of personality in tourists’ emotions and cruising intentions and highlight the impact of emotion on cruising intention. Allocentric tourists are more likely to express positive emotions toward cruising and to embark on cruises compared with psychocentric tourists. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.