Role of Cultural Tendency and Involvement in Heritage Tourism Experience: Developing a Cultural Tourism Tendency–Involvement–Experience (TIE) Model

Abstract

Tourists’ attitudes, especially when searching with a cultural tendency, can influence the tourism experience in cultural heritage tourism. Based on the cultural contact theory and tourist involvement theory, we try to reveal the tie or the relationship between local culture and tourism. Here, we define cultural tendency as the extent to which tourists positively intend to learn about the culture of the destination. Then, we examined the roles of cultural tendency, involvement, tourist experience, and satisfaction in heritage tourism and proposed a tendency–involvement–experience (TIE) model. Using a questionnaire with tourists in Mogao Caves, a world heritage site, we found that cultural tendency through involvement enhanced tourism experience and satisfaction. Moreover, the tendency of different cultures had various effects on tourists’ experiences. Prior knowledge did not play a moderating role on the relationship among cultural tendency and involvement. The findings underscore the importance of cultural tendency in creating experiences, and heritage tourism must address tourists’ preferences for a better experience.

Exploring how local cultural influences affect tourist conduct

“…The study also emphasizes that promoting local culture is a significant aspect of tourist destinations that can create memorable tourism experiences (Kim, 2014). Moreover, diverse cultures have been shown to have distinct effects on tourists' experiences (Xu et al, 2022). Tourists' perceptions of their cultural backgrounds can influence their destinations (Tian et al, 2021).…”

An empirical study on cultural identity measurement and its influence mechanism among heritage tourists

“…With the development of tourism, tourists' requirements for experience have gradually improved. They desire to experience various natural and humanistic elements in tourist destinations so as to have travel experiences that are different from daily life (Xu et al, 2022). This line of evidence suggests that the formation of the travel experience is inseparable from a specific situation.…”

Tourists’ Revisit Intention and Electronic Word-of-Mouth at Adaptive Reuse Building in Batavia Jakarta Heritage

“…EWOM in marketing tourism refers to the online discussions and recommendations made by travelers and consumers about tourism-related products and destinations. It has a significant influence on travel decision-making, and tourism businesses and destinations must actively engage with and manage eWOM to ensure a positive online reputation and attract more tourists [25,29,30].…”

“…Prior knowledge is defined as information about the product or service, evaluating its quality by visual exposure, verbal, and sensory stimuli such as advertisements, articles in newspapers and magazines, and television programming [30,73,74] and rely on the experiences of others who have used a particular product or service. In the context of the tourism industry, tourists seek prior knowledge about their chosen destinations to mitigate potential risks and enhance their sense of security [75,76].…”