Visitor experience can be defined as "an individual's immediate or ongoing, subjective and personal response to an activity, setting, or event outside of their usual environment" (Packer & Ballantyne, 2016, p. 137). As a result, visitor experiences, especially sensory experiences, are attracting increasing interest due to their impact on visitors’ attitudes and behavior (Agapito et al., 2014; Agapito, 2020a; 2020b; Jenkins & Bristow, 2024). Sensory experiences refer to visitors' overall impressions of goods or services that are experienced collectively through the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch (Agapito et al., 2014; Agapito, 2020a; 2020b; Lv et al., 2020). Thus, sensory experiences are crucial for creating bonds and identifying visitors with a given destination, making the social impact of tourism through sensory experiences multidimensional (Ai et al. 2022; Li et al. 2023). It also seems that in the age of social media, the quality of the experience has a greater impact on the traveler’s perception than ever before. Therefore, how we perceive reality through our senses shapes our perception of it.

Despite growing interest in this issue, there remains a lack of coherent theoretical models and comparable empirical studies that would allow us to understand how tourists perceive their experiences in a sensory and emotional manner. Additionally, how these senses shape future attitudes and behaviors. This Research Topic aims to expand knowledge in this area by developing several proposed directions, although not limited to them:

• Multisensory perception of tourist destinations: Agapito et al. (2014) proposed the concept of ‘sensoryscape’, emphasizing the need to analyze integrated sensory experiences. Further research is needed on how different sensory stimuli shape the perception of tourist spaces and influence tourists' emotional responses.
• Sharing the feeling of the moment and destination development: Wengel et al. (2022) described how visual feelings of the moment and place can, through social media, attract a crowd of people eager to visit the advertised destination to experience similar feelings. It is necessary to look at how sensory experiences can influence the development of a tourist destination through social media.
• The senses and the authenticity of experience: Waitt and Duffy (2010) suggest that experiencing places through the senses enhances the sense of authenticity. It is therefore worth investigating which stimuli most effectively evoke this feeling – e.g. the taste or smell of local cuisine, the sound of ‘silence’ or even the ‘roar’ of the city.
• Sensory experiences and eudaimonic well-being: Ritpanitchajchaval, Ashton, & Apollo (2023) studied how adventure tourism in the mountains can contribute to eudaimonic well-being. It is therefore worthwhile taking a closer look at the sensory elements that influence the self-development of tourists and contribute to their positive development.
• Sensory experiences and tourist memory: The work of Kim, Ritchie and McCormick (2012) indicates that the most memorable tourist experiences are strongly associated with intense sensory experiences. Research in this area could contribute to a better understanding of tourist loyalty and their propensity to return.
• Multisensory experience and cultural tourism: Timothy and Boyd (2003) emphasized the importance of multisensory perception in creating a truly memorable tourist experience, especially in the context of cultural heritage.
• Cultural differences in sensory perception: As Urry and Larsen (2011) emphasize, the tourist gaze is culturally conditioned. Comparative research is therefore necessary to demonstrate how representatives of different cultures interpret the same sensory stimuli.
• Sensory perception of religious space: Apollo et al. (2020) analyzed what sensory perceptions (pollution, stuffiness, sense of danger, disturbed aesthetics, etc.) influence the perception of religious sites and religious tourism. It is therefore necessary to look at how to identify sensory stimuli that influence negative perceptions.

Beyond the cognitive goal, the editors of this collection want the understanding of these mechanisms to also have a practical dimension. Because innovative approaches are needed in tourism research to avoid or mitigate negative social impacts and enhance positive benefits, thereby ensuring the well-being of all stakeholders (Schänzel & Apollo, 2023). The satisfaction of all players is essential for the successful implementation of development plans, but in a way that is sustainable (Apollo, Wengel & Kler, 2025; Hall, 2008). They should serve to improve the quality of tourism offerings, minimize negative perceptions and support the development of sustainable, empathetic and ethical forms of tourism. Here, sensory perceptions play a key role.

References:
Agapito, D. (2020a). Sensory experiences in tourism: A conceptual framework. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 15, 100401.
Agapito, D. (2020b). The senses in tourism design: A bibliometric review. Annals of Tourism Research, 83, 102934.
Agapito, D., Valle, P., & Mendes, J. (2014). The sensory dimension of tourist experiences: Capturing meaningful sensory-informed themes in Southwest Portugal. Tourism Management, 42, 224–237.
Ai,J., Yan, L., Hu, Y. & Liu, Y. (2022). An Investigation Into the Effects of Destination Sensory Experiences at Visitors’ Digital Engagement: Empirical Evidence From Sanya, China. Front. Psychol. 13:942078. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.942078
Apollo, M., Wengel, Y., & Kler, B. (2025). Editorial: Tourism development, sustainability, and inclusion. Front. Sustain. Tour. 4:1556258. doi: 10.3389/frsut.2025.1556258
Apollo, M., Wengel, Y., Schänzel, H., & Musa, G. (2020). Hinduism, Ecological Conservation, and Public Health: What Are the Health Hazards for Religious Tourists at Hindu Temples? Religions, 11(8), 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080416
Hall, C. M. (2008). Tourism Planning: Policies, Processes and Relationships. Pearson Education.
Jenkins, I. S., & Bristow, R. S. (Eds.). (2024). Sensory Tourism: Senses and Sensescapes Encompassing Tourism Destinations. CABI.
Kim, J. H., Ritchie, J. R. B., & McCormick, B. (2012). Development of a scale to measure memorable tourism experiences. Journal of Travel Research, 51(1), 12–25.
Li, H., Li, M., Zou, H., Zhang, Y., & Cao, J. (2023). Urban sensory map: How do tourists “sense” a destination spatially?. Tourism Management, 97, 104723.
Lv, X., Li, C., and Mccabe, S. (2020a). Expanding theory of tourists’ destination loyalty: the role of sensory impressions. Tour. Manag. 77:104026. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104026
Packer, J., & Ballantyne, R. (2016). Conceptualizing the Visitor Experience: A Review of Literature and Development of a Multifaceted Model. Visitor Studies, 19(2), 128-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2016.1144023
Ritpanitchajchaval, N., Ashton, A. S., & Apollo, M. (2023). Eudaimonic well-being development: Motives driving mountain-based adventure tourism. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 42, 100607.
Schänzel, H. & Apollo, M. (2023). Specialty grand challenge: wherever tourism arrives, society notes it first! Frontiers Sustainable Tourism, 2:1341765. doi: 10.3389/frsut.2023.1341765
Timothy, D.J. & Boyd, S.W. (2003). Heritage Tourism. Prentice Hall.
Urry, J., & Larsen, J. (2011). The Tourist Gaze 3.0. Sage.
Waitt, G., & Duffy, M. (2010). Listening and tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(2), 457–477.

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Sensory experiences and their impact on tourism: How do visitors “sense” their own experience?