The effect of heritage tourism interpretation media type on tourists’ eWOM: the moderating role of travel group size

This study explored the impact of different forms of tourism interpretation (personal vs. nonpersonal) on the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) of heritage tourists through the moderating role of travel group size (small vs. large), the mediating role of embodied experience and perceived interpretation quality. A mixed-method approach, including two scenario-based experiments and a heritage tourist attraction-site survey, was applied. The results revealed that there is a significant difference in the impact of personal interpretation and nonpersonal interpretation on tourists' eWOM, and the mediating effects of embodied experience and perceived interpretation quality and the moderating effect of travel group size were established. For smaller travel groups, personal interpretation had a more significant effect on tourists' eWOM, perceived interpretation quality, and embodied experience than did nonpersonal interpretation, whereas the opposite was true for larger travel groups. Our findings provide theoretical value and meaningful practical information regarding how to improve tourists' eWOM and promote the sustainable development of heritage tourism.