Elevating cultural celebrity endorsements impact in intangible cultural heritage tourism: role of generativity

Mature intangible cultural heritage (ICH) tourism aids in preserving cultural heritage and also creates innovative opportunities for tourism within the experience economy. Cultural celebrities play a pivotal role in this context, actively contributing to the promotion and sustainability of ICH tourism. However, ICH tourism involves a complex network of stakeholders, including cultural celebrities, marketers and tourists, requiring a comprehensive theoretical framework to address these diverse perspectives. This study aims to improve cultural celebrities promotional effectiveness by integrating commodity theory, match-up theory and the value-attitude-behaviour model. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 388 tourists who watched live Cantonese opera performances in Guangzhou. Results show that generativity directly influences celebrity involvement and perceived scarcity. Furthermore, celebrity involvement and perceived scarcity fully mediate the relationship between generativity and satisfaction. Lastly, findings provide valuable implications and suggestions for cultural celebrities and marketers in promoting ICH tourism.