Published 11/21/2025 — Updated on 05/04/2026
Keywords
- visual media,
- tourism marketing,
- psychological processes,
- perception,
- marketing communication
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2025 Psychological Research (in the Balkans)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
In the era of visually saturated digital environments, tourism marketing relies more and more on visual elements to capture attention, rise emotion, and influence certain decision-driven behaviours. While the role of visual media in consumer experience is widely acknowledged, its psychological aspect and impact on tourism related decision-making still remains underexplored. The paper looks into how visual content activates cognitive, affective, and identity-related processes that shape tourist motivation and behavioural intention. By examining psychology-based literature, social media and tourism marketing studies, the paper proposes a conceptual model outlining the pathways through which visual stimuli affect psychological responses. The model identifies four key mediating components: perception and cognitive framing, emotional response, imaginary projection and identity construction, and social validation.
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