Purpose: – This research aims to investigate whether emotions can be considered as a suitable variable to segment visitors at a museum. Furthermore, it seeks to analyse whether emotions influence visitor satisfaction and whether this depends on objective variables (such as age, gender and level of education) or not. Design/methodology/approach: – A structured questionnaire was developed and data were collected at the National Museum of Archaeology “G.A. Sanna” in Sardinia (Italy) via 410 face-to-face interviews. Hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analyses and a series of chi-squared tests were run for the purpose of the study. Findings: – Two segments were identified. The cluster with the higher positive emotions reported perceiving a higher level of attractiveness and uniqueness at the museum, and of being more satisfied than the other group. Furthermore, no significant differences were reported between the two segments based on socio-demographic characteristics. Research limitations/implications: – The study is site-specific. The application of the study to other museums would allow for wider generalisations to be made from the results obtained. Practical implications: – Managers should market and position museums as an emotionally driven experience consumption site. Furthermore, they should consider both cognitive and emotional aspects of visitor experience when designing and planning their businesses, as well as when assessing the visitor’s satisfaction. Originality/value: – This study adds to the growing literature on emotions as a tool for segmentation and positioning, and suggests that cognitive and emotional aspects should be considered simultaneously when measuring visitors’ satisfaction. Further, it suggests that emotions are more significant than cognitive aspects in shaping visitors’ satisfaction.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the classical topics of services literature in a tourism experience with a means‐end‐model on the quality‐value‐satisfaction‐loyalty chain. Within this wide stream of research, this work has a particular interest on value antecedents and on the sense of the link between value and satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach: An overall tourism experience with positive and negative antecedents (benefits and sacrifices experienced) and classical evaluations (perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty as behavioral intention) is analyzed through two competing structural models measured with partial least squares on a sample of 274 students traveling in groups for leisure purposes.Findings: The empirical findings show that: the chain of constructs service quality‐perceived value‐customer satisfaction‐loyalty is once again confirmed in a service setting; affective antecedents (social value, play and aesthetics) are more important determinants of perceived value and satisfaction than cognitive antecedents (efficiency, quality and effort spent); and the model performs better when value is understood as an antecedent of satisfaction than in the opposite case.Research limitations/implications: The findings illustrate how tourism settings are paradigmatically useful for researching perceived value within services because of the differences found between cognitive and affective antecedents. The target chosen (students) and the sampling method used (convenience) need further replication in order to assure the validity of the results.Originality/value: Besides the use of PLS (rather than LISREL), the empirical purpose of measuring with same data a value‐satisfaction link and the reverse is interesting for services researchers in order to progress in the debate on the supremacy of one or another.