MILLENNIAL GENERATION’S PERCEPTION OF NOSTALGIA-THEMED TOURISM IN SHAPING EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Abstract

This study examines how millennial tourists perceive nostalgia-themed tourism and how nostalgic
emotional experiences are constructed during destination encounters. Using a qualitative descriptive
approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation
involving eight millennial visitors to nostalgia-oriented urban destinations. The findings demonstrate that nostalgic emotional experience is not an automatic response to sensory exposure but emerges through a layered and interpretive process shaped by the interaction of sensory activation, interpersonal authenticity, and reflective meaning-making. Visual and auditory cues such as heritage-style architecture, retro ambience, and old-era music function as initial triggers that activate autobiographical and collective memories and evoke emotional comfort. These emotional states are further reinforced through warm and personalized social interactions, which enhance perceptions of authenticity and emotional attachment. Conversely, inconsistencies in service delivery disrupt experiential continuity and weaken nostalgic
immersion. Theoretically, this study advances nostalgia tourism and experience economy scholarship by conceptualizing nostalgia as a dynamic emotional process of reflection, identity negotiation, and emotional regulation rather than a static recall of the past. Practically, the findings suggest that destination managers should design nostalgia-themed tourism through coherent integration of atmospheric elements, humancentered service, and narrative storytelling to foster deeper emotional engagement and sustained destination appeal among millennial visitors.
Keywords: Nostalgia Tourism; Millennial Generation; Emotional Experience; Experience Economy;
Urban Tourism