Falling in love with a place because of a song: the transportation effects of music on place attachment

With the growing influence of media on tourism destination marketing, this research proposes a possible psychological process of music effect on place attachment, using the narrative transportation theory. Data were collected through an online survey in China (n = 531) and analyzed using SEM. Results indicate that (1) music transportation positively affects individuals’ attachment; (2) attitude plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between music transportation and place attachment; (3) previous visits have significant moderate effects on the attitude-attachment path rather than on the transportation-attachment path or the transportation-attitude path. Theoretical and practical implications for destination marketing are provided.