The power of culture: how it shapes tourists’ online engagement with destinations

ABSTRACT This study investigates how belief and folklore culture influence destination online engagement behavior, with a specific focus on Meizhou Island’s Mazu culture. Through social cognition theory, the study reveals that cultural atmosphere affects online engagement behavior through mystique and place distinctiveness, but peer emotional contagion and perceived crowding moderate this relationship negatively. According to the study, enhancing the cultural environment and regulating tourist flow is critical to creating a positive destination experience for tourists. The study also provides valuable insights for tourism practitioners and policymakers on how to enhance destination online engagement behavior and promote belief and folklore culture tourism.