Vol. 29 No. 2 (2025)
Articles

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN TOURISM THROUGH VISUAL MEDIA

Published 11/21/2025 — Updated on 05/04/2026

Keywords

  • visual media,
  • tourism marketing,
  • psychological processes,
  • perception,
  • marketing communication

How to Cite

Nikolova, R. (2026). PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN TOURISM THROUGH VISUAL MEDIA. Psychological Research (in the Balkans), 29(2). https://doi.org/10.7546/PsyRB.2025.28.02.04

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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