Category: Travel/Tourism

Luxury isn’t about wealth—it’s about what’s missing. From postwar security to digital-era silence, what we call “luxury” keeps evolving. This essay explores how rarity shapes desire, how the luxury industry sells emotional scarcity, and why the most coveted experiences today are often the quietest.

Airport Retail and the Psychology of Stress: What Makes Travellers Spend?

Psychology, Retail, Travel/Tourism

That overpriced chocolate bar at Gate 14 wasn’t about hunger—it was about control. In this in-depth essay, we explore how Mood Repair Theory explains airport retail behaviour, especially in high-stress domestic terminals, and what airports can learn from global best practice to meet travellers’ emotional needs.

What Is Narrative Transportation Theory—and Why Should Regional Tourism Care?

Featured Articles, Regional Development, Travel/Tourism

Inside every old town lives a new story—emerging not instead of, but because of what came before.

Why People Misunderstand Regional Towns – and How to Reframe the Story

Psychology, Regional Development, Travel/Tourism

Regional towns struggle not with invisibility—but with oversimplified mental maps. Drawing on schema theory, this article explores how Gippsland, Daylesford, and New Zealand have reshaped public perception—and what councils can learn from them.

The Gamified Journey: How Behavioral Design is Transforming the Psychology of Travel

Featured Articles, Psychology, Travel/Tourism

Travel isn’t just about going somewhere anymore—it’s about becoming someone. The quiet revolution of gamification is reshaping how we experience destinations, and smart marketers are already playing several moves ahead.

The Quiet Revolution: How Emotional Intelligence is Redefining Luxury Hospitality

Psychology, Thinking, Travel/Tourism

Looking at the complexity of modern luxury hospitality through an emotional lens, this piece reveals a paradox: the most memorable experiences aren’t built from expensive materials, but from moments of genuine human connection that create lasting emotional imprints.

Engineered to Spend: The Hidden Psychology Behind Airport Layouts

Neuroscience, Psychology, Retail, Thinking, Travel/Tourism

Airports aren’t just about planes and passports—they’re carefully engineered environments that shape your behavior at every step. From retail layouts to time pressure, here’s how airport design nudges you more than you realize.