PurposeTheme park experiences ubiquitously unfold in the presence of others. In acknowledgement of this important part of theme park consumption, this research set out to examine if other visitors help create an immersive environment and, in turn, memorable experiences for theme park visitors.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was distributed to 561 theme park visitors. Structural equation modeling (AMOS 26) was used for testing the hypotheses in the proposed framework.FindingsResults of SEM analyses reveal the positive impact of perceived similarity on visitors' sense of immersion at theme parks and the memorability of the experience. In turn, memorable experiences further drive behavioral intentions (i.e., return intention and willingness to pay premiums).Practical implicationsThe findings provide suggestions for theme parks to leverage customer-to-customer interactions in order to create immersive and memorable visitor experiences.Originality/valueThis research marks one of the first attempts to approach customer-to-customer interactions (CCIs) at theme parks by empirically examining the impact of the perceived similarity of others on focal visitors' emotions and experiences.

In response to this special issue, concerned with methods and measurements, a comprehensive review of the last 5 years of qualitative research was conducted in the top five journals that primarily publish articles pertaining to the hospitality industry. A total of 197 articles were read and analyzed for this review with a focus on the state of trustworthiness in the contemporary hospitality literature. An outline of the methods, techniques, and successes are presented in this review as are recommendations for scholars, journal editors, journal reviewers, and our partners in industry who use qualitative data for many reasons including but not limited to employee satisfaction surveys, market focus groups, and employee exit interviews. In addition, the relatively novel and nascent ideas regarding empirical rigor such as transparency and replicability are introduced to the hospitality field.

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Classical gardens offer ample cultural and natural landscapes for visitors to appreciate. Taking the tourist gaze as a theoretical lens, this study assumes a netnographic approach and conducts narrative analysis on travel blogs to explore visitors’ experiences at Chinese classical gardens. Findings revealed key domains of the gaze object (i.e., macro-level structural design and micro-level elements) and the way of gaze (i.e., spatial and temporal), which formed the Chinese gaze in the tourism context. Results further showed how gaze contributed to Yijing development, a unique Chinese aesthetic concept. This study enriches the tourism and aesthetics literature by positioning a classical aesthetic concept (Yijing) within a modern tourism practice (gaze). Practical implications for tourism development and destination marketing are provided.