Satisfaction with cultural attractions: interaction effect of tourists’ regulatory focus and cultural attractions’ interpretation tools

Cultural attractions such as enjoying local performing arts or local cuisines are important components of cultural tourism. This study shows the influence of tourists' regulatory focus on the satisfaction of cultural attractions. In addition, the study examines the interaction effect of tourists' regulatory focus and cultural attractions' interpretation tools on satisfaction. The result shows that promotion-focused people experience higher satisfaction from cultural attractions without interpretation aids than with interpretation aids. Additionally, we find that promotion-focused people experience surprise in cultural attractions without interpretation aids, leading to satisfaction. The findings show that tourist characteristics and cultural product characteristics have an interaction effect on cultural tourism satisfaction. The practical and theoretical implications of our findings are discussed.