Impact of comprehensive distance on inbound tourist satisfaction

Purpose Distance is the core concept in tourism. However, previous studies focused on single distance dimensions and generated contradictory findings due to omitted variable biases. This paper aims to introduce the well-established CAGE (cultural, administrative, geographical, and economic) distance framework into international tourism research to measure the comprehensive distance and explore its impact on inbound tourist satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach The comprehensive distance was calculated based on the Mahalanobis formula. Combining tourist review data from TripAdvisor, this study used ordinary least square regressions to explore the influence of the comprehensive distance on inbound tourist satisfaction and the mediating role of inbound tourist emotion. Findings Results show that CAGE distance effectively describes the dynamic change in distance. The comprehensive distance also positively impacts tourist satisfaction, and tourist emotion plays a mediating role in this impact. Originality/value This paper advances knowledge about distance in international tourism by introducing the CAGE distance framework and addresses the contradictory findings with specific distance dimensions by the comprehensive distance.