Making parasocial identification tangible: Can film memorabilia strengthen travel intention?

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to expand on the theories of parasocial identification and transitional objects, and to pioneer the investigation into how imaginative practices become tangible aspects of tourist behavior.

Methods: Based on a survey data with 385 Game of Thrones fans, a hypothesized model was tested using PLS-SEM.

Results: This paper suggests that identification with media characters is a gradual structured process, and memorabilia are transitional objects that further enhance viewers’ travel intentions. Findings show that film memorabilia make illusory experiences tangible and enable individuals to cross the threshold between the imagined and the mundane.

Implications: The study offers tourism marketers and service providers insights into how to shorten the psychological distance between seemingly unattainable fictive worlds and screen tourism destinations.