WebinarOnline
The emotional core of travel: Connecting psychology, inclusive marketing and socially responsible tourism
Friday, 5 March 2027
Explore how emotion, identity and social connection influence travel choices, and how accessible design, meaningful representation and ethical communication can support inclusive marketing and more socially responsible tourism.
About this event
Travel decisions are shaped not only by functional needs, but also by anticipation, attachment, memory and the desire to belong. Emotions influence how people choose destinations, interpret encounters and describe experiences afterwards. This webinar explores the psychological foundations of travel and asks how marketing can acknowledge emotional life without exploiting vulnerability or narrowing the people represented.
The session will consider affect, identity, empathy and social connection across the visitor journey. Participants will examine how imagery, narrative and service interactions create expectations and emotional responses. They will also discuss how culture, disability, age, gender and economic circumstances influence experiences, while resisting simplistic assumptions about any group.
Inclusive marketing requires more than adding diverse faces to promotional material. It depends on accessible information, meaningful representation and services designed for different needs. The webinar will explore how research can identify barriers, test communication and include communities in decisions. It will consider the ethical risks of stereotyping, tokenism and personalised persuasion based on sensitive data.
Social responsibility connects these questions with wider destination effects. Campaigns can shape who feels welcome, which places receive attention and what behaviour appears normal. Participants will consider how emotional engagement might encourage care, respect and reciprocal relationships rather than consumption alone. The session offers a framework for designing communications that are psychologically informed, inclusive in practice and accountable for their social consequences. Such an approach treats emotional insight as a basis for better relationships, not merely a technique for increasing attention, conversion or short-term commercial value across visitor markets.