What accounts for the charm of collective tourism attraction? An explanation from the interaction ritual chains theory perspective

Perceived emotional synchrony is a positive collective emotion that has a substantial impact on the experience of group activities. However, the mechanism of its formation and the subsequent impact have not been thoroughly investigated. Based on the interaction ritual chains theory, the research explores the role of perceived emotional synchrony and its mechanism. A mixed-method approach and a multi-study method were employed, consisting of social network analysis (Study 1: N = 2595), in-depth interviews (Study 2: N = 16), and questionnaires (Study 3: N = 585). The results shed light on the importance of perceived emotional synchrony by revealing how perceived emotional synchrony is formulated and how perceived emotional synchrony increases the probability of tourists re-engaging in the activities. This research also offers practical implications for the experience design of collective activities and tourism destination management.