Being good to be happy? The influence of moral values on tourist happiness

In recent years, interdisciplinary contributions have flourished extensively, mainly in the fields of philosophy and economics with the aim of understanding what effectively drives individuals in their pursuit of happiness. This study aims to analyse the determinants of tourist happiness. To fulfil this purpose, a conceptual model of happiness in tourism was proposed and empirically tested. Moving from a specific strand of philosophy, according to which the only way for an individual to attain happiness is to be virtuous, we posit that moral values are crucial determinants in the process of shaping tourist happiness. Aesthetic attributes of a tourist destination are also considered in our model. The results from structural equation modelling confirm the relevance of moral values in shaping tourist happiness. In addition, multi-group analysis allows the identification of differences for shopping tourists regarding the impacts of aesthetics on tourist happiness.