Marketing

Time preference

Cognitive psychology

Choice set

Microeconomics

Social psychology

Tourism

Archaeology

Economics

Set (abstract data type)

Computer science

Construal level theory

Business

Advertising

Psychology

Preference

Geography

Political science

Econometrics

Artificial intelligence

Programming language

Consistency (knowledge bases)

Satisficing

Annals of Tourism Research

Where a lengthy period is available for the choice of tourist destination, people’s tendency to change their minds can be pronounced. This makes the investigation of preference (in)consistency of great interest. Here, we integrate construal level theory (CLT) with mind-set theory, for the first time, to explore the moderating effect of an internal factor (i.e. mind-set) on preference shifts from desirable to feasible attributes over time. The results of four choice experiments suggest that, compared with people with a satisficing mind-set, people with a maximizing mind-set are reluctant to sacrifice desirability for feasibility, which counters the inclination to alter preferences as the decision time approaches. Furthermore, we found that different preference patterns between maximizers and satisficers are not connected to desirability but result from maximizers’ consistency in placing less importance on feasibility. Implications for future studies and destination marketers are outlined.

Always best or good enough? The effect of ‘mind-set’ on preference consistency over time in tourist decision making