Exploring the Effect of Tour Guide Cultural Interpretation on Tourists’ Loyalty in the Context of the Southern Journey by Emperor Qianlong

Abstract

The southern journey by Emperor Qianlong left behind a wealth of cultural resources in the Jiangnan region. While elucidating the intricate facets of these diverse cultures, the tour guide adeptly fulfills the elevated cultural expectations of the tourists. This, in turn, fosters a deeper sense of attachment and loyalty towards the destination among the tourists. This study investigates the influencing mechanism of tour guide cultural interpretation (TCI) on tourists’ loyalty in the context of the southern tour by Emperor Qianlong. The research was conducted with 416 tourists from tour groups visiting Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area. The results show that TCI has a direct effect on revisit intention (RI) and has an indirect effect on intention to recommend (IR); both memorable tourism experience (MTE) and place attachment (PA) mediate and serially mediate the association between TCI and tourists’ loyalty. The findings enrich the research on the relationship between tour guides’ interpretation and tourists’ loyalty by including MTE and PA as mediating variables.

1. Introduction

As one of the renowned emperors in Chinese history, Emperor Qianlong frequently appears as a leading character in Chinese costume dramas such as The bronze teeth, Princess Pearl, and Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace, and is greatly adored by Chinese audiences. One drama in particular, Story of Yanxi Palace, achieved the highest viewership record in mainland China in 2018 [1]. It also won the Best Telenovela/Soap Opera award at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2019 [2]. According to Enlightent, a Chinese film and television industry data platform, until May 2023, a total of 12 TV dramas have surpassed one billion views since 2017, with “Story of Yanxi Palace” ranking sixth [3]. These statistics demonstrate the immense popularity of TV dramas centered around Emperor Qianlong among Chinese viewers.

The Emperor Qianlong was presented as a flamboyant emperor who was suave and seductive and flirted with the art of balancing his harem concubines in the television series. In fact, Emperor Qianlong was born in Beijing in the year 1711. He ascended to the throne in 1735 at the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. Although he abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Jiaqing, in 1796, he still retained significant power until his death in the year 1799 [4]. Emperor Qianlong was the longest-lived and longest-ruling emperor in Chinese history, pushing the Qing dynasty to its prime, but in his later years he adopted a policy of utter isolation, which contributed to China’s decline in the 19th century [4]. Emperor Qianlong was deeply fascinated by imperial expeditions, and he personally undertook six southern journeys, which were regarded as one of the two most remarkable accomplishments of his entire life [5]. The southern journey, also known as the Jiangnan journey, referred to the area surrounding the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake [6]. In the history of the Chinese Empire, only when supported by universally respected culture could political rule succeed and government actions be widely accepted [7]. As the Qing Dynasty rulers were not Han Chinese, the Jiangnan scholar-officials, who represented the elite culture of the Han nationality, always doubted the legitimacy of Manchu rule. Additionally, during the early establishment of the Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan was the place where the Ming Dynasty resisted the Qing army most fiercely. Therefore, Emperor Qianlong and the Qing rulers had both appreciation and vigilance, even hostility, towards Jiangnan [8]. The fundamental purpose of Emperor Qianlong’s southern journey was not only to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, but also to dissolve the resistance sentiment there, eliminate the barrier between the Manchu and Han nationalities, further win the hearts of the Jiangnan scholar-officials, and establish the legitimacy of Qing Dynasty rule. Emperor Qianlong, in addition to his resolute political purpose, harbored a profound yearning for communing with nature and relishing the beauty of mountains and waters like a common tourist. His six southern journeys left behind a large number of poems, couplets, plaques, and inscriptions in the famous mountains, temples, and gardens of Jiangnan, China, which has become a rich tourist resource today. Many tourists from mainland China are drawn to the Jiangnan region due to their familiarity with television dramas featuring Emperor Qianlong. They are also captivated by the wealth of resources that Qianlong left behind, which fosters a deep attachment to Jiangnan as a popular tourist area. (Figure 1 shows the route and final destination of Qianlong’s southern tour—Jiangnan.)

Today, the need of tourists to comprehend the cultural values of tourist attractions is growing [9,10], and tourism businesses view culture and knowledge as a key component of their corporate competitiveness [11]. It can be said that the key to improving tourist satisfaction and promoting tourist loyalty lies in effectively telling cultural stories about the destination. Tourists’ loyalty refers to tourists’ supportive attitude or behavior towards a specific tourism product [12]. Tourists’ loyalty is divided into attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty [13] and is generally measured by revisit intention, revisit behavior, and intention to recommend [14]. There are many factors that influence tourists’ loyalty, including tourism expectations, tourism satisfaction, and tourism quality [15]. In addition, tour guides have been shown to serve as a link between tourists and popular tourist attractions, and studies have shown that their interpretations have a positive effect on tourists’ satisfaction [16,17] as well as tourists’ loyalty [18]. Specifically, Çetıinkaya and Öter (2016) surveyed 530 tourists who visited Istanbul and discovered that tour guides, as the primary representatives of the destination, have a significant impact on tourist satisfaction and the intention to revisit [19]. Similarly, Syakier and Hanafiah (2022) gathered data from 384 tourists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and found that tour guide performance and tourist satisfaction positively influence their behavioral intention, which subsequently affects their willingness to revisit and the reputation of the destination [20]. Additionally, Fu et al. (2023) conducted research indicating that the interpretation humor displayed by tour guides can effectively promote positive word-of-mouth from tourists [21].

Although these studies have laid a solid foundation for understanding various ways of promoting tourists’ loyalty, some research gaps remain. First, an essential indicator of good tour guide services is the quality of tour guide interpretation [22]. Previous research has focused on examining how the professional level [23,24], speaking style [25], and non-verbal behavior [26] of tour guides can enhance the experience and satisfaction of tourists. However, there has not been any specific discussion on the impact of tour guide cultural interpretation (TCI) on tourists’ loyalty at a specific cultural tourism destination.

In practical terms, the interpretations provided by tour guides may vary depending on the history, culture, and characteristics of different destinations. The differences between natural and cultural landscapes require tour guides to focus on different aspects. For instance, when it comes to heritage tourism sites, tour guides need to emphasize the historical and cultural significance of the site [27]. However, problems in tour guide license exams limit tour guides’ competency, which, finally, can negatively impact tourists’ satisfaction during tourism activities [28,29]. Specifically, to obtain a tour guide license in China, one must pass three national exams that cover basic knowledge of tour guiding, tour guide business, and tourism policies and regulations. Additionally, one must demonstrate proficiency in reciting predetermined tour guide scripts during oral examinations [30]. While these exams ensure a standardized level of qualification, they may not fully cover destinations or scenic areas with distinct cultural characteristics. As a result, some tour guides can only give overview interpretations but cannot elaborate on the cultural connotations, especially for cultural tourism attractions. Therefore, exploring the relationship between TCI and tourists’ loyalty can offer valuable insights for future reforms in tour guide license exams.

Second, tour guide interpretation has an indirect impact on the loyalty, satisfaction [18,20], and destination image [31], often serving as mediating variables between the two. However, there is limited research on whether MTE and PA play a mediating role in the relationship between tour guide interpretation and tourists’ loyalty. Effective interactions between tourists and tour guides enhance tourists’ MTE in cultural experiences [32], which is known to significantly influence tourists’ future intentions [33]. Additionally, storytelling by tour guides brings the history and culture of tourist destinations to life, fostering a stronger connection between tourists and the destination [34]. Place attachment, in turn, has been identified as an important factor influencing tourists’ loyalty [35,36]. Therefore, further research is required to validate the mediating role of MTE and PA in the relationship between tour guide interpretation and tourists’ loyalty.

Furthermore, it is crucial to acknowledge that although certain studies have discovered a direct influence of tour guides on the loyalty of tourists [20], these studies solely focus on the overall performance of the tour guide on tourists’ loyalty. They do not specifically investigate the correlation between tour guide cultural explanations and tourists’ loyalty. Additionally, these studies often consider tourists’ loyalty as a latent variable, whereas in reality, it consists of two aspects: revisit intention and the intention to recommend [33,37]. Therefore, future research should aim to determine whether tour guide cultural interpretation has a direct or indirect effect on both revisit intention and the intention to recommend.

In order to bridge the above existing gaps in the tourism literature, this present study examines the relationship between TCI, MTE, PA, and tourists’ loyalty. More specifically, this study seeks to answer the following research questions:

• Does TCI have a positive effect, and a direct or indirect effect, on tourists’ loyalty?
• Do MTE and PA have mediating effects on the relationship between TCI and tourists’ loyalty?

Finally, a conceptual framework with research hypotheses that specify the direction of the relationships among constructs is proposed on the basis of the review.

2. Literature Review and Hypothesis Development

2.1. Tour Guide Interpretation and Tourists’ Loyalty

Tour guides serve as a bridge between tourists and destinations, and tour guide interpretation satisfies tourists’ curiosity and needs by providing knowledge about the destination [17]. An essential indicator of good tour guide services is the quality of tour guide interpretation [22]. Previous studies have discussed the role of the tour guide as a communicator in influencing tourists’ experiences [38,39], tourists’ behavioral intentions [40,41], and tourists’ satisfaction [18,42]. Research has also revealed that tour guide interpretation not only affects tourist satisfaction, but also further influences loyalty towards a particular tourist destination [43]. Specially, Kuo et al. (2016) found a positive relationship between tour guide interpretation in Kinmen Battlefield tourism and tourists’ loyalty in Taiwan [44]. In fact, loyalty is defined as a deep commitment to continue patronizing a preferred product or service, resulting in repeat purchases or visits [45]. In the tourism context, returning to a tourist destination and recommending it to others are the best proof of tourism loyalty [14], so tourism loyalty generally includes the dimensions of intention to recommend and revisit intention [33,37]. Furthermore, studies have shown that tour guides who incorporate humor into interpretation have a positive impact on tourists’ inclination to engage in positive word-of-mouth about their experiences [21]. Cheng et al. (2019) surveyed 562 Chinese mainland tourists visiting Taiwan, and found that tour guide interpretation positively influences tourists’ revisit intention [31]. Similarly, Seyitoğlu (2021) found in a study on Istanbul’s food tourism that tour guides’ performance and services can provide a good experience for tourists, attracting repeat customers and recommending other tourists to enjoy food tourism, further confirming the important role of tour guides in introducing local cultures [46].

Moreover, it could be found that for tourists with high cultural demands, understanding the destination’s cultural significance increases their motivations to revisit frequently [9]. In fact, tourists also prefer those tour guides who can articulate the cultural values of the destination [47]. Alazaizeh et al. (2019) confirmed that tour guides at Petra, a World Heritage Site in Jordan, are a factor in tourists’ satisfaction and experiences, and their aptitude for elucidating the location’s cultural significance is linked to tourists’ loyalty [48]. Tour guide interpretation plays an important role in destination competitiveness [49]. Generally, tourists’ loyalty contains two dimensions: revisit intention (RI) and intention to recommend (IR) [33,37]. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H1: 

Tour guide cultural interpretation has a positive effect on tourists’ loyalty.

H1a: 

Tour guide cultural interpretation has a direct positive effect on revisit intention.

H1b: 

Tour guide cultural interpretation has a direct positive effect on intention to recommend.

2.2. Tour Guide Cultural Interpretation and Memorable Tourism Experience

The concept of Memorable Tourism Experience (MTE) is defined as “a tourism experience that is actively remembered and recalled after an event” [50]. Previous research has indicated that MTE is positively influenced by novelty, involvement, and social interaction [51]. In addition, Coudounaris and Sthapit (2017) identified several factors that contribute to MTE, such as tourist impulsivity, local cultural perception, destination involvement, and knowledge acquisition [52]. Tour guides can play a crucial role in enhancing tourists’ understanding of local cultures and knowledge by providing explanations of the destination’s attractions [17]. Tourists often share their memorable tourism experiences on travel blogs, and gaining an understanding of the local residents’ life and culture, as well as engaging with professional tour guides and tourism service providers, are significant themes associated with MTE [53].

The creation of MTE is primarily influenced by the quality of the experience [54], and tour guides can significantly impact the quality of the tourism experience [15]. The TCI will help the tourists form a more lasting impression and will increase their MTE in cultural tourism activities [32]. Mathisen (2012) differentiates between two types of tour guides and compares tourists’ experiences [55]. The first type is tour guides who explain the historical culture at a rock art site, and the second type is tour guides who explain the natural scenery in the northern landscape. The results indicate that tourists prefer tour guides who express cultural knowledge in a storytelling manner. Tour guides play a critical role in maximizing tourists’ appreciation, enjoyment, and minimizing their negative impact on heritage sites. Therefore, tourists’ experiences and satisfaction play a significant mediating role in the relationship between tour guide performance and tourists’ sustainable behavior, as noted by Alazaizeh et al. (2019) [48]. Furthermore, Rasoolimanesh, Seyfi, Rather and Hall (2022) emphasize the importance of local tour guides in providing information and knowledge about the city and its attractions at heritage sites, providing more opportunities for tourists to interact with locals [56]. These findings align with the dimensions of MTE, including local culture, participation, and knowledge, which enhance tourists’ memorability of the destination. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H2: 

Tour guide cultural interpretation has a positive effect on memorable tourism experience.

2.3. Memorable Tourism Experience and Tourists’ Loyalty

The existing literature confirms that the participation and interaction of tourists are critical components in enhancing MTE. Specifically, prior studies have highlighted that tourist engagement has a significant impact on loyalty through satisfaction [57]. Typically, tourist destination loyalty is measured by revisit intention and intention to recommend [14], and MTE directly or indirectly influences future behavioral intentions through tourist satisfaction. As such, it has been identified as the most influential determinant of behavioral intentions [33]. Therefore, the impact of MTE on tourist destination loyalty is noteworthy. Specifically, Ng et al. (2022) investigated tourists visiting the Best of Highlands tea plantation in Malaysia, and found that unforgettable tourism experiences strongly predicted destination loyalty [58]. Kahraman and Cifci (2023) studied the Princes’ Islands in Turkey, where unforgettable tourism experiences and overall satisfaction had positive effects on destination loyalty [59]. Additionally, we cannot ignore the demand from tourists for deeper cultural experiences, because the more deeply tourists engage with a culture, the more MTE they will generate [9]. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H3: 

Memorable tourism experience has a positive effect on tourists’ loyalty.

H3a: 

Memorable tourism experience has a positive effect on revisit intention.

H3b: 

Memorable tourism experience has a positive effect on intention to recommend.

2.4. The Mediating Role of MTE

The experiences of tourists have been proven to be significant in shaping their travel memories [60]. These memorable tourism experiences are often influenced by the novelty, participation, and social interaction at the destination [51]. In other words, tourism memories are the subjective perceptions of participants and are closely related to their level of satisfaction [61]. Tour guide interpretation plays an important role in influencing the quality of tourists’ experiences [15]. Specifically, tour guides who possess excellent communication skills and interpersonal abilities are able to provide valuable information at tourist destinations, leading to impressive travel experiences for tourists [18,62]. Therefore, tour guides are able to enhance emotional responses and serve as catalysts for creating memorable tourism experiences [63]. Additionally, the presentation of cultural values at tourist destinations further enhances these memorable tourism experiences [32], which become the prerequisite of subsequent travel decisions [58]. Furthermore, empirical research has consistently shown that memorable tourism experiences have a positive impact on revisit intention and intention to recommend [64,65]. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H4: 

Memorable tourism experience mediates the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and tourists’ loyalty.

H4a: 

Memorable tourism experience mediates the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and revisit intention.

H4b: 

Memorable tourism experience mediates the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and intention to recommend.

2.5. MTE and Place Attachment

Place attachment (PA) originated from attachment theory, which is a psychological, evolutionary, and ethological theory concerning relationships between humans [66]. It explains the nature of emotional ties between individuals and others. PA is defined as a person’s perception of place, including symbolic and emotional expressions [67]. PA can be found as an emotional connection between a person and a place, and in tourism behavior it is the emotional connection that a tourist establishes with the tourist destination during the local experience.

The local experience is the result of a significant amount of perceptual input in the destination environment, which is conceptualized as cognition, emotion, and place attachment [68]. PA is a relevant outcome of an unforgettable local experience, which is related to the positive emotions felt by tourists at the destination and their corresponding image of the destination [69]. To illustrate, tourists can use the convenience of taking selfies and sharing photos on social media to record their happiness during their travel experience, which can enhance their unforgettable experience and place attachment [70]. Cultural perception, destination participation, and knowledge acquisition can deepen tourists’ MTE [52]. Specifically, Sthapit et al. (2022) emphasize that local culture, participation, and knowledge in halal tourism can enhance tourists’ MTE and generate place attachment [71]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H5: 

Memorable tourism experience has a positive effect on place attachment.

2.6. Tour Guide Cultural Interpretation and Place Attachment

The travel industry caters to both independent and group tourists, with the latter often opting for package tours purchased through travel agencies. However, managing the diverse interests and needs of tour group members from various regions, occupations, and family backgrounds can be challenging. To this end, tour guides play a crucial mediating role in facilitating team relationships [72]. Specifically, tourists may have positive emotions due to the humor of the tour guide [62], while in certain ethnic and cultural areas, tour guide services have a significant impact on tourists’ sightseeing intentions [73]. By skillfully explicating local cultures and stories, tour guides can leave a lasting impression on tourists and foster a sense of PA [34,55]. In particular, Yagi and Frenzel (2022) found that a tour guide’s call for local history, culture, and heritage during cultural exploration activities can enhance the interaction between the guide and tourists, ultimately leading to stronger PA [34]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H6: 

Tour guide cultural interpretation has a positive effect on place attachment.

2.7. Place Attachment and Tourists’ Loyalty

The cohesive relationship within a tourist group also affects the positive emotions of tourists [74]. Positive emotions, negative emotions, and satisfaction are generally considered important determining factors in PA [75]. Cardinale, Nguyen, and Melewar (2016) surveyed 220 tourists visiting famous the wine attraction Friuli Colli Orientali in the northeast of Italy, indicating that wineries that provide positive experiences encourage all tourists to revisit the region, increasing loyalty to the local area [76]. As a result, tourists’ travel experiences play a crucial role in determining their destination choices [13]. Moreover, PA enhances tourism intention and recommendations for the destination [75]. Specifically, Xu and Zhang (2016) further proved that the degree of activity participation promotes place attachment in the historical and cultural city of Hangzhou, which becomes an important prerequisite for tourists’ loyalty to the local area [77]. Tan, Kok, and Choon (2018) investigated intangible cultural heritage at the World Heritage Sites of George Town and Melaka, Malaysia, showing that local intangible heritage strengthens the attachment between people and places [78], and PA enhances tourism intention and recommendations for the destination [75]. In addition, Zou et al. (2022) utilized meta-analysis to summarize a comprehensive framework regarding place attachment and tourist loyalty [12]. The findings indicated a positive correlation between place attachment and tourist loyalty, including behavioral loyalty, attitudinal loyalty, and composite loyalty. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H7: 

Place attachment has a positive effect on tourists’ loyalty.

H7a: 

Place attachment has a positive effect on revisit intention.

H7b: 

Place attachment has a positive effect on intention to recommend.

2.8. The Mediating Role of Place Attachment

Attachment is formed through the influence of individual’s previous experiences [79], particularly their significant memories and positive experiences [80], place identity [81], and place social bonding [82], which are important components of place attachment. In the context of tourism, high-quality tour guide interpretation can help tourists connect with the destination’s culture, develop a strong cultural identification with the place, and influence their intention to revisit [31]. Place social bonding focuses on the experiences people gain through social interactions in specific places [83]. Tour guides play a crucial role in facilitating communication between tourists and the destination, promoting understanding of the destination culture [47,72]. Tour guides’ interpretation at cultural heritage sites maximizes tourists’ appreciation and enjoyment of the destination, and encourage sustainable behavior among tourists [48]. Moreover, various studies have confirmed that place attachment has a positive effect on tourist loyalty [84,85,86,87]. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H8: 

Place attachment mediates the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and tourists’ loyalty.

H8a: 

Place attachment mediates the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and revisit intention.

H8b: 

Place attachment mediates the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and intention to recommend.

Combined with H4a and H4b, H8a and H8b, and H6, this study infers that tour guide cultural interpretation can has a positive effect on tourists’ loyalty through MTE and PA. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H9: 

Memorable tourism experience and place attachment serially mediate the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and tourists’ loyalty.

H9a: 

Memorable tourism experience and place attachment serially mediate the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and revisit intention.

H9b: 

Memorable tourism experience and place attachment serially mediate the association between tour guide cultural interpretation and intention to recommend.

Based on the above research hypotheses, this study introduces the model as Figure 2.

3. Methodology

3.1. Sample and Procedures

This study was carried out in Wuxi Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area. The entire region includes two famous mountains, Huishan and Xishan, as well as three major areas—Xihui Park, Jichang Garden, and Huishan Ancient Street. It is now a 5A-level scenic area in China. During his southern tour, Emperor Qianlong was particularly fond of Jichang Garden. Qin Jin initially constructed this garden, also known as Qin Garden, during the reign of Emperor Zhengde (1506–1521) in the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong paid eleven visits to Jichang Garden during his six southern journeys and left behind numerous poems and inscriptions. One of the most renowned poems he composed during his first visit to Jichang Garden in 1751 is as follows [88].

輕棹沿尋曲水灣, 秦園寄暢暫偷閑.

無多臺榭喬柯古, 不盡煙霞飛瀑潺.

近族九人年六百, 耆英高會勝香山.

松風水月垂宸藻, 昔日卷阿想像間.

The translation of this poem is as follows:

Lightly paddling along the winding curve of the Qu Shui Bay, I find solace in the Qin Garden for a brief moment of stolen leisure.

The numerous pavilions and ancient trees cannot capture the beauty of the misty clouds, colorful sunset, and cascading waterfalls.

Nine wise elders with a combined age exceeding 600 years gathered together to welcome the arrival of the emperor.

The gentle breeze and reflected moon in the pine forest evoke memories of the past, as if I am transported to another time.

The initial four sentences depict the exquisite beauty of Qinyuan, comprising the ancient trees, towering branches, winding streams, and cascading waterfalls. The succeeding four sentences illustrate the welcoming of the emperor by the elderly members of the Qin family. Emperor Qianlong had a great fondness for Jichang Garden and, as a result, a replica was constructed in the Qingyiyuan, located at the northeast foot of Wanshoushan in Beijing, upon his return to the capital. Presently, this replica is recognized as the Garden of Harmonious Interests situated in the Summer Palace. The tourists exploring the entire scenic area can witness the remnants of Emperor Qianlong’s presence. For example, Emperor Qianlong wrote a plaque in the Jichang Garden, with characters “Jade Streams and Golden Rockery” engraved on it (Figure 3). In addition, tourists can enjoy a panoramic view of the Jichang Garden by the lakeside (Figure 4).

With the favor of a local travel agency, this study distributed online questionnaires to tourist groups visiting Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area within one week of completing their tours, along with a single online feedback form. The questionnaires were collected during a four-week period in March to April 2023. Even though the Chinese government eased its restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2023, inbound tourism has not yet resumed, and there are no foreign tourists in the scenic areas. At present, all the respondents are from mainland China. The respondents were given a tourism discount coupon after completing the questionnaire. A total of 450 questionnaires were received, and 416 valid ones could be used in this study. The study used SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 to empirically analyze the sample data. Respondents’ characteristics are detailed in

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the respondents.

Variables	Category	Frequency	Ratio (%)
Gender	Male	147	35.3
	Female	269	64.7
Age	<25	79	19.0
	25–35	152	36.5
	36–40	95	22.8
	41–45	53	12.7
	>45	37	8.9
Education	Middle school	43	10.34
	Junior college	115	27.64
	Undergraduate	203	48.80
	Postgraduate and above	55	13.22
Travel companion	None	14	3.37
	Family	276	66.35
	Other	126	30.29
Number of visits	1	318	76.44
	2	69	16.59
	3	25	6.01
	Above 3	4	0.96
Occupation	Civil servant	11	2.64
	Enterprise employee	233	56.01
	Sole trader	76	18.27
	Teacher	29	6.97
	Farmer	18	4.33
	Student	49	11.78
	Total	416	100

.

3.2. Measures

We used the pilot study to make appropriate amendments to the questionnaire. All questions were answered on 5-point Likert scales, ranging from 1 (“totally disagree”) to 5 (“totally agree”). Tour guides’ cultural interpretation was measured using a scale from Tsaur and Teng (2017) [89], which comprises four items. Memorable tourism experience and place attachment were measured using Vada, Prentice, and Hsiao’s (2017) four-item scale [80]. Revisit intention and intention to recommend were adapted using a scale from Bonn et al. [37], which comprises three items, respectively (See

Table 2. Variable measurement.

Constructs	Measurement Items	Reference
Tour guide cultural interpretation	1. My tour guide will introduce the cultural background of tourist attractions in detail.	Tsaur and Teng, 2017 [89]
	2. My tour guide will encourage tour members to experience culture and be involved in local life.
	3. My tour guide will teach tour members about local languages.
	4. My tour guide will include local people, events, and objects in interpretations.
Memorable tourism experience	1. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience.	Vada et al., 2019 [80]
	2. I had a unique experience.
	3. My trip was different from previous trips.
	4. I experienced something new.
Place attachment	1. I feel that this place is a part of me.	Vada et al., 2019 [80]
	2. This place is the best place for what I like to do.
	3. This place is very special to me.
	4. No other place can compare to this place.
Revisit intention	1. I would revisit this place in the future.	Bonn et al., 2007 [37]
	2. If given the opportunity, I would return to this place.
	3. I am loyal to this cultural destination.
Intention to recommend	1. I would recommend this place to my friends.	Bonn et al., 2007 [37]
	2. I would say positive things about this place.
	3. I would encourage friends and relatives to visit this place.

).

4. Results

4.1. Exploratory Factor Analysis

Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using SPSS26.0 to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. The outcomes of the analysis are presented in

Table 3. Exploratory factor analysis results.

Variables	Codes	Rotated Component Matrix					Cronbach’s Alpha
		1	2	3	4	5
Tour guide’s cultural-oriented interpretation	TCI1	0.088	0.890	0.066	−0.004	0.082	0.896
	TCI2	0.054	0.832	0.075	0.026	0.056
	TCI3	0.095	0.885	0.030	0.013	0.056
	TCI4	0.061	0.855	0.070	−0.013	0.078
Memorable tourism experience	MTE1	0.887	0.072	0.071	0.066	0.084	0.917
	MTE2	0.875	0.082	0.057	0.092	0.132
	MTE3	0.859	0.079	0.037	0.116	0.142
	MTE4	0.886	0.081	0.084	0.067	0.119
Place attachment	PA1	0.059	0.077	0.861	0.025	0.126	0.869
	PA2	0.035	0.081	0.840	0.068	0.047
	PA3	0.033	0.047	0.790	0.079	0.200
	PA4	0.110	0.038	0.850	0.096	−0.001
Revisit intention	RI1	0.152	0.070	0.097	0.060	0.902	0.914
	RI2	0.163	0.101	0.112	0.083	0.893
	RI3	0.133	0.095	0.145	0.040	0.895
Intention to recommend	IR1	0.110	−0.020	0.098	0.926	0.070	0.930
	IR1	0.095	0.023	0.073	0.913	0.061
	IR1	0.102	0.014	0.086	0.936	0.046
Eigen Value (Rotated)		3.215	3.063	2.891	2.633	2.559
Explained Variance (%)		17.860	17.015	16.059	14.628	14.215
Cumulative Variance (%)		17.860	34.874	50.993	65.561	79.776
KMO = 0.828; Bartlett = 5052.719; Sig = 0.000; df = 153

, which indicates that Cronbach’s α coefficient values of all measurement dimensions of each variable were greater than 0.8, indicating high internal consistency of the scale data. The KMO value of this study was 0.828, surpassing the standard value of 0.6. Moreover, the result of Bartlett’s sphericity test was sig = 0.000, which meets the significance index of p < 0.05. The cumulative variance explanation rate was 79.776%, exceeding the required 50%. The Rotated Component Matrix values were all greater than 0.79, suggesting good convergence validity between each item and the corresponding factor. The analysis shows that the model data’s reliability and validity meet the standards and are stable and reliable. (See Table 3).

4.2. Measurement Model

As the study variables were measured using existing scales, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with maximum likelihood estimation was performed to assess the reliability and validity. We analyzed 416 valid questionnaires using AMOS 24.0. As presented in

Table 4. The results of the measurement model.

Variables	Codes	Unstd.	S.E.	Z	p	Std.	Cronbach’s Alpha	AVE	CR
Tour guide’s cultural-oriented interpretation	TCI4	1				0.813	0.896	0.686	0.897
	TCI3	1.032	0.052	19.72	***	0.853
	TCI2	0.916	0.054	17.084	***	0.764
	TCI1	1.081	0.053	20.407	***	0.879
Memorable tourism experience	MTE4	1				0.872	0.917	0.734	0.917
	MTE3	0.99	0.045	21.795	***	0.836
	MTE2	0.986	0.043	22.817	***	0.859
	MTE1	0.969	0.042	22.863	***	0.86
Place attachment	PA4	1				0.798	0.869	0.626	0.870
	PA3	0.91	0.059	15.531	***	0.742
	PA2	1.03	0.062	16.495	***	0.782
	PA1	1.061	0.06	17.72	***	0.84
Revisit intention	RI3	1				0.882	0.914	0.780	0.914
	RI2	0.989	0.041	24.142	***	0.886
	RI1	0.98	0.041	24.016	***	0.882
Intention to recommend	IR3	1				0.932	0.930	0.818	0.931
	IR2	0.894	0.033	26.732	***	0.865
	IR1	0.975	0.032	30.018	***	0.915
χ2 = 160.249, DF = 125, χ2/DF = 1.282, RMSEA = 0.026, GFI = 0.960, IFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.991, CFI = 0.993
Note: *** p < 0.000.

, standard factor loadings ranged from 0.742 to 0.932, all of which exceeded 0.6 and were statistically significant at p < 0.001. Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability (CR) were used to measure reliability. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.869 to 0.930, and CR ranged from 0.870 to 0.931, all of which were higher than 0.7. In addition, average variance extractions (AVEs) ranged from 0.626 to 0.818, which were higher than 0.5. The results showed the measurement model fits the data well (χ² = 160.249, DF = 125, χ²/DF = 1.282, RMSEA = 0.026, GFI = 0.960, IFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.991, CFI = 0.993) [90]. The square root of the AVE exceeded the correlation coefficient between corresponding latent constructs (shown in

Table 5. Results of correlation of the variables.

Variables	1	2	3	4	5
TCI	0.828
MTE	0.186 **	0.856
PA	0.154 **	0.165 **	0.791
RI	0.194 **	0.311 **	0.255 **	0.883
IR	0.032	0.217 **	0.183 **	0.156 **	0.904
Mean	3.201	3.267	3.365	3.343	3.982
Std. Deviation	0.998	0.976	1.023	0.959	1.007

** significantly correlated at p < 0.01 level (bilateral), and the square root of AVE was on the diagonal.

). These results indicate good reliability and discriminant validity.

4.3. Testing the Hypothesized Structural Model

Table 6. Path analysis results.

Hypothesis	Standardized Estimate	Unstandardized Estimate	S.E.	C.R.	p	Results
H1a TCI→RI	0.12	0.116	0.05	2.321	0.02	Supported
H1b TCI→IR	−0.039	−0.041	0.056	−0.73	0.465	Not Supported
H2 TCI→MTE	0.207	0.202	0.053	3.85	***	Supported
H3a MTE→RI	0.276	0.272	0.052	5.254	***	Supported
H3b MTE→IR	0.21	0.226	0.058	3.902	***	Supported
H5 MTE→PA	0.158	0.164	0.058	2.846	0.004	Supported
H6 TCI→PA	0.139	0.141	0.057	2.492	0.013	Supported
H7a PA→RI	0.211	0.201	0.051	3.971	***	Supported
H7b PA→IR	0.168	0.174	0.057	3.071	0.002	Supported
χ2 = 160.249, DF = 125, χ2/DF = 1.282, RMSEA = 0.026, GFI = 0.960, IFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.991, CFI = 0.993

*** p < 0.000.

shows the results for each hypothesis. TCI presentation had a significant direct positive effect on RI (β = 0.12, p < 0.05). However, TCI was not significant in IR (β = −0.039, p > 0.05). TCI had significant direct positive effects on MTE (β = 0.207, p < 0.05) and PA (β = 0.139, p < 0.05), supporting H2 and H3, respectively. MTE had a significant direct positive effect on PA (β = 0.158, p < 0.05), supporting H4. MTE had significant direct positive effects on RI (β = 0.276, p < 0.05) and IR (β = 0.21, p < 0.05), supporting H5a and H5b. Finally, PA had significant direct positive effects on RI (β = 0.211, p < 0.05) and IR (β = 0.168, p < 0.05), supporting H6a and H6b.

4.4. Test of Mediating Effect

Furthermore, a bootstrapping estimation technique (bootstrap = 2000) was conducted in AMOS24.0 with a 95% bias-corrected confidence interval (CI) to examine the mediation roles of MTE and PA. The results are shown in

Table 7. Results of the mediation effect test.

Hypothesized Path	Estimate	S.E.	Bias-Corrected 95%CI			Percentile 95%CI
			Lower	Upper	p	Lower	Upper	p
TCI→MTE→RI (H4a)	0.055	0.021	0.021	0.108	0.000	0.019	0.102	0.001
TCI→MTE→IR (H4b)	0.046	0.018	0.017	0.091	0.001	0.014	0.083	0.002
TCI→PA→RI (H8a)	0.028	0.016	0.005	0.070	0.015	0.003	0.066	0.025
TCI→PA→IR (H8b)	0.025	0.015	0.004	0.065	0.016	0.001	0.060	0.033
TCI→MTE→PA→RI (H9a)	0.007	0.004	0.002	0.019	0.002	0.001	0.015	0.008
TCI→MTE→PA→IR (H9b)	0.006	0.004	0.001	0.018	0.004	0.001	0.015	0.016

5000 bootstrap samples.

. All hypotheses were empirically supported. Specifically, the indirect effect of TCI→MTE→RI was statistically significant (β = 0.055, 95%CI = 0.021, 0.108), supporting H4a; the indirect effect of TCI→MTE→IR was statistically significant (β = 0.046, 95%CI = 0.017, 0.091), supporting H4b; the indirect effect of TCI→PA→RI was statistically significant (β = 0.028, 95%CI = 0.005, 0.07), supporting H8a; the indirect effect of TCI→PA→IR was statistically significant (β = 0.025, 95%CI = 0.004, 0.065), supporting H8b; the indirect effect of TCI→MTE→PA→RI was statistically significant (β = 0.007, 95%CI = 0.002, 0.019), supporting H9a; the indirect effect of TCI→MTE→PA→IR was statistically significant (β = 0.006, 95%CI = 0.001, 0.018), supporting H9a.

5. Discussion

5.1. Conclusions

This study examines the impact of tour guide cultural interpretation on tourists’ loyalty, with memorable tourism experience and place attachment serve as the mediating variables between these two factors. In this study, a total of 416 valid questionnaires were collected from tourists to Jichang Garden, the most populous attraction from Emperor Qianlong’s southern journey. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data, and the results indicate that all hypotheses were supported except for H1b. The specific results are as follows:

First, TCI has a positive effect on MTE and PA. Tourists learn cultural knowledge related to the destination through cultural interpretation by tour guides, and meaningful tourism experiences are not only memorable, but also deepen tourists’ love for the destination.

Second, TCI has positive effects on tourists’ loyalty, among them, significant direct and indirect effects on revisit intention. However, TCI did not have a significant direct effect on IR. IR is closely related to tourists’ perceived emotions towards the destination as a whole [91], and local attachment mediates the influence of tourists’ emotions and tourists’ willingness to recommend [75]. In fact, TCI only accounts for a part of tourists’ overall emotional perception of the destination; other components, such as food and beverage, accommodation, etc., may also influence tourists’ emotions. In this study, TCI had an indirect effect on the willingness to recommend, where place attachment mediated the effect of both, which is also consistent with previous studies.

Third, this study also finds that MTE has a positive effect on PA, which is an important predictor of RI and IR. Therefore, in order to promote RI and IR, tour guides need to provide tourists with MTE and build emotional connections with them.

5.2. Theoretical Implications

Firstly, this study explicitly introduces the variable of tour guide cultural interpretation and verifies its positive effect on tourist loyalty. Tour guide interpretation, as part of a tour guides’ performance, is often discussed from the perspectives of both language and non-language functions [25,26], which have treated tour guide interpretation as a universal activity, without differentiating specific or specialized interpretation based on the attributes of the destination or tourist attractions. It is still unclear whether tour guide interpretation can be generalizable to some specific themes or elements of tourist destinations, such as non-natural landscapes or tourist attractions with strong cultural characteristics. Therefore, the focus of tour guide interpretation needs to be clarified for different types of tourism destinations. The ultimate goal of tour guide interpretation is to enhance tourists’ experience [72] and promote the competitiveness of the destination [49]. The six southern journeys by Emperor Qianlong played a crucial role in incorporating humanistic aspects into the landscapes of Jiangnan. As a result, there has been a growing interest among tourists in the pursuit of cultural value [9]. Hence, this research aims to emphasize the significance of cultural tour guide cultural interpretation in enriching tourists’ cultural experiences and enticing them to visit cultural tourism destinations repeatedly. It verifies the relationship between tour guides’ cultural explanation abilities and tourists’ loyalty to this cultural tourism site.

Second, this study enriches the research on the relationship between tour guide interpretation and tourists’ loyalty by including MTE and PA as mediating variables. Despite the fact that previous studies have also discussed the relationship between tour guide interpretation and tourists’ loyalty, they have mainly focused on tourist satisfaction and destination image as mediating variables acting on the effect of tour guide interpretation on tourists’ loyalty [18,20,31]. Tourists’ loyalty is closely related to tourists’ satisfaction, but we cannot ignore its relationship with tourists’ experience [58], and MTE strengthens tourists’ loyalty [59]. In addition, tourists’ intention to visit and intention to recommend are positively influenced by PA [75]. Therefore, we included MTE and PA as mediating variables in the study of the relationship between tour guide interpretation and tourists’ loyalty. Finally, this study enhances theoretical understanding of how TCI fosters tourists’ revisit intention and intention to recommend tourism destinations.

Third, our findings on the underlying mechanism between TCI and tourists’ loyalty provide important theoretical insights for research on related variables. There is a significant positive effect of TCI on tourists’ loyalty; however, TCI only supports a direct effect on tourists’ RI, while IR requires MTE and PA for mediation. Previous studies around tour guide interpretation and tourists’ loyalty did not distinguish loyalty into two variables, RI and IR, and only discussed the indirect effect of tour guide interpretation on tourists’ loyalty [44], whereas this study found both direct and indirect effects of TCI on tourists’ loyalty.

5.3. Practical Implications

The findings have practical significance in promoting the development of cultural tourism. They can be used as a reference for tour guides, tour guide licensing exams, and destination departments.

First, tour guides should continuously learn about history and culture to improve their interpretation skills. This study shows that TCI positively influences MTE and PA, and has a direct and indirect positive effect on tourists’ loyalty. Higher requirements for competence are being demanded for tourist employees due to COVID-19’s long-term effects on the sector and the ongoing integration of China’s cultural and tourism industries. In addition, tourist demand has shifted from sightseeing to cultural demand, with tourists keen to comprehend the tourism destination’s cultural value during the tourism activity [9]. Tour guides must undergo a long period of learning from the time they obtain their license to become competent tourism experts [92]. Therefore, tour guides should thoroughly research the destination’s history and culture, master effective presenting skills, and polish the information presented at scenic locations. In addition, tour guides should actively participate in cultural knowledge lectures organized by local tourism sectors to continuously enhance their cultural understanding.

Secondly, it is recommended that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism reform the content of the tour guide license examination and annual review process. One suggestion is to incorporate a written and oral test on local cultural knowledge. Currently, the written test only covers nationally standardized subjects, while the oral test focuses on reciting a fixed local tour guide script. This format makes it challenging to thoroughly evaluate the cultural differences of different regions, making it difficult for tour guides to acquire cultural knowledge for local tourism. To address this, it would be advantageous to include questions about the specific cultural knowledge of the city and province in the written test, and to introduce a section in the oral test where candidates can explain local cultural knowledge. Additionally, the annual review for tour guide licenses should incorporate enhanced training on local cultural knowledge, accompanied by corresponding examinations.

Furthermore, it is important for local tourism departments to thoroughly investigate the cultural significance of the area and effectively share the local cultural narratives. This study finds that TCI does not have a direct effect on IR, but has an effect on it mediated by MTE and place attachment. MTE is related to six other experiential themes such as local people, life and culture, perceived novelty, and perceived contingency, in addition to being served by competent tour guides and travel agency services [53]. This means that the representation and promotion of tourist destinations should not solely depend on the tour guide’s cultural interpretation. Rather, destination tourism departments should take the initiative to organize local cultural resources, employ various methods to develop cultural tourism offerings, modernize the methods of local cultural communication and presentation, and create a synergy between tour guides’ cultural interpretation and high-quality local cultural content. By doing so, it will be possible to attract a larger number of tourists and encourage repeat visits.

5.4. Limitations and Future Research

Although this study confirms the positive effect of TCI on tourists’ loyalty and provides some practical implications for the development of imperial cultural tourism destinations, some limitations still exist. First, only one region of the Qianlong emperor’s southern tour was selected as a case study in this paper. In fact, Emperor Qianlong covered nine major cities of Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Jiangning, Changzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Shaoxing during his six southern journeys [6], which contain numerous tourist attractions related to Qianlong’s journey, so future research can select multiple southern tour attractions and construct a competition model. Second, in this study, the questionnaires to tourists were distributed within one week after the end of the tour, and MTE may change with time. Future research can study, for example, tourists’ perceptions of MTE at different time stages, such as one month, three months, six months, and one year. Third, in this paper, the measures of RI and IR are the revisit and recommendation of local attractions. When tourists appreciate TCI, is it possible to recommend tour guides to others? This may increase the boundary of RI. Finally, this study focused on Chinese tourists for the questionnaire survey and did not include a survey of foreign tourists. While mainland China eased its control over the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2023, the inbound tourism market has not fully rebounded. According to my travel agency partner, there were hardly any foreign tourists visiting Wuxi and its surrounding scenic areas during the survey period. In the future, as the inbound tourism market slowly recovers, we plan to conduct further research on foreign tourist samples. We will also explore the relationship between tour guide cultural interpretation and tourist loyalty, taking into account both domestic and foreign tourists as moderating variables.