Cultural Tourism Intention in Digital Communication Ecosystems: Habitual Engagement, eWOM, and Destination Image Co-Creation Using PLS-SEM and fsQCA

Abstract

Cultural destinations are discovered, interpreted, and evaluated through digital communication. However, studies examine communication factors independently, limiting understanding of how destination image develops within digital communication ecosystems and how communication conditions relate to cultural tourism intention. This study examines relationships among social influence, habit, price value, social media marketing activities (SMMA), user-generated content (UGC), electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), destination image, and cultural tourism intention. A sequential mixed-methods design integrated Fuzzy Delphi, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Data were collected from 680 Thai tourists who visited cultural destinations after exposure to tourism-related digital content. PLS-SEM showed habit had the largest path coefficient for cultural tourism intention, while UGC showed significant positive relationships with eWOM, destination image, and cultural tourism intention. Social influence, SMMA, and UGC were positively associated with eWOM, whereas price value, SMMA, UGC, and eWOM were positively associated with destination image. fsQCA highlighted the six highest-coverage configurations sufficient for high cultural tourism intention; UGC appeared in all six, while the remaining conditions acted as flexible complements. These findings highlight destination image co-creation within digital communication ecosystems and indicate high cultural tourism intention is associated with multiple configurations rather than a single pattern.