Can anthropomorphic interpretation cues motivate tourists to have civilized behavioral intentions? The roles of meaningful experience and narrative

Abstract

Guiding tourists in displaying civilized behavior is pivotal in destination management. This research tries to understand what forms of interpretation can effectively promote tourists' desirable behaviors. Grounded in social information processing theory, it introduces the tool of anthropomorphic interpretation cues and investigates its' efficacy in shaping tourists’ civilized behavioral intentions through meaningful experience. Hypotheses are developed by integrating the social information processing theory, the three-factor theory of anthropomorphism and the narrative transportation theory, in three experiments. First, we confirm how anthropomorphic interpretation cues substantially enhance civilized behavioral intentions. Second, we show that the perception of meaningful experience mediates the effect of anthropomorphic interpretation cues in interpretive communication. Third, we show that the presence (vs. absence) of narrative within anthropomorphic interpretation cues amplifies the intervention effect. These findings offer valuable insights for destination managers, suggesting the strategic implementation of anthropomorphic cues and narrative approaches in interpretation to encourage tourists' civilized behavior.