How Do Repeat Domestic Tourists Cope with Evolving Railway Stationscapes? A Marketing-Based Exploration Using Servicescape and Onboarding Concepts

This article examines repeat domestic tourists frequently using the same railway station for leisure or workcation activities. Railway stations are continuously being revamped and shifted from the public to the market space due to the incorporation of retail and non-retail options. These changes oblige repeat domestic tourists to constantly adapt their journey and activities when waiting for their trains. Framed by servicescape and onboarding marketing concepts, and based on observations and interviews with repeat domestic tourists from two busy evolving Parisian railway stations, we first outline the notion of railway stationscape. Second, we reveal the three onboarding strategies—interaction, escape, and routine—repeat domestic tourists deploy in evolving stationscapes. The results emphasize the central smartphone role and the need for practitioners to reassure travelers and to provide them with free-of-charge and restorative cues when they onboard in an evolving stationscape.