Travel can turn an ordinary meal into something that feels extraordinary, and a new global study shows how powerfully that emotion shapes what diners write online. Researchers analyzing nearly 71,000 reviews from a major Chinese platform report that tourists are 13.4 percent more likely than locals to give restaurants higher ratings, a pattern they call tourist bias, published in Information Systems Research.
For everyday readers, the finding matters because online reviews shape decisions about where to eat, how much to spend, and what to expect. If tourists consistently rate restaurants more generously than locals do, consumers might misjudge a place, and businesses may receive feedback that hides deeper issues.
The research team from South China University of Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tongji University, and the University of Science and Technology of China found that the effect held steady whether restaurants were cheap or expensive, in small towns or large cities. Tourists tended to write shorter, more emotional reviews and upload more photos, revealing a shift from practical assessment toward feeling-driven snapshots of a trip.
Why Emotions Tilt the Scale
The study found that the uplift of being on vacation changed not only what tourists noticed, but how they judged it. Instead of focusing on location, price, or culinary technique, tourists weighted ambiance, friendliness, and emotional resonance more heavily. This shift from a cognitive evaluation style to an affective one created a systematic bump in ratings, even when the objective dining experience was the same.
“When people are away from home, theyre more emotional, more excited and more forgiving. That emotional uplift translates directly into higher ratings.”
When Ratings Mislead
Restaurants that cater heavily to visitors may appear to outperform local favorites, not because they are objectively better but because they are reviewed through the lens of positive travel emotion. The authors emphasize that platforms and consumers should treat ratings differently depending on who left them, recognizing that a locals three stars may reflect a fundamentally different evaluation process than a tourists five.
“Online platforms and businesses should recognize that not all ratings mean the same thing. A restaurant with many tourist reviews may appear better than it truly is for locals, or vice versa.”
The study suggests that this emotional tilt is likely universal, applying anywhere tourists gather, photograph their meals, and leave glowing reviews. As long as travel makes ordinary experiences feel special, the numbers on review sites will reflect not only food and service but the uplift of being somewhere new.
Information Systems Research: 10.1287/isre.2020.0620
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