Selling cute destinations to East Asia

Purpose: A multidimensional scale was developed to measure the cuteness experience a destination can offer. In doing so, this paper attempts to explore the implications of the cuteness aesthetics for destination marketing. Design/methodology/approach: The procedure of scale development was followed. A survey was administered to a college student sample. The scale of cuteness experience was validated. A four-point scale turned out to be effective in terms of measurement. Findings: The results show that cuteness experience of a destination consists of five dimensions: smallness, irregularity, roundness, lightness and creativity. Research limitations/implications: The cuteness attributes have significant implications for promoting destinations to the East Asian markets, which have seen the rise of the cute culture in recent decades. Originality/value: This study identified a unique selling point of destinations, namely, cuteness as a destination attribute. The study results also contribute to understanding of destination personality by drawing attention to the childlike personality trait: cuteness.