The effect of self-congruity on tourists’ emotions and sharing cultural tourism experiences on social networking platforms: a case study of Lingnan Impression Park

This study attempts to investigate how self-congruity motivates tourists’ intention to share their cultural destination travel experiences on social networking platforms through their emotional and affective states. There are four types of self-congruence: actual self-congruity, social self-congruity, ideal self-congruity, and ideal social self-congruity. The survey data were collected from 336 samples after visiting Lingnan Impression Park. The results indicated that four types of self-congruence except for social self-congruity positively affect evoked pleasure (emotional state). Moreover, four types of self-congruence and evoked pleasure positively affect destination emotional attachment (affective state). Evoked pleasure and emotional attachment mediate the effect of self-congruity on the intention to share cultural destination travel experiences on social networking platforms. This study expands the application of the theory of self-congruity to cultural tourism in explaining the sharing behaviour of tourists on social networking platforms. This study also provides implications for assisting cultural destinations in formulating appropriate social networking marketing strategies to promote their destinations.