How do you feel about crowding at destinations? An exploration based on user-generated content

Although crowding at a destination has been regarded as a critical factor influencing tourist experience, no consistent conclusion has been reached regarding the relationship between perceptions of crowding and tourist satisfaction. This study intends to explore the influence of perceived crowding on satisfaction, and the moderators of this relationship. It is based on an analysis of 72,890 user-generated reviews covering 218 destinations in China. The level of satisfaction of tourists who mention crowding in their reviews was generally lower than that of tourists not mentioning this factor. Among tourists who mentioned crowding, the perceived degree of crowding had a larger impact on those tourists with greater travel experience. The findings contribute to the literature and have practical implications for destination management.