DIGITAL SYNERGIES IN DESTINATION BRANDING: DRIVING EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND LOYALTY THROUGH IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN ZHEJIANG PROVINCE

Abstract

The rapid integration of digital technologies in the tourism sector has transformed visitor experiences, yet the mechanism by which these technologies influence emotional engagement remains under-explored. This study investigates the impact of digital technology application on the emotional elements of the tourism experience in Zhejiang Province, China. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research employs an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 450 tourists at major destinations in Zhejiang and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Qualitative insights were derived from in-depth interviews with 15 tourists and 10 industry professionals. The findings reveal that digital technologies—specifically Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and AI-driven personalization—significantly enhance emotional engagement, which in turn drives tourist satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth communication. Notably, individual characteristics such as digital literacy and age moderate these relationships. This study provides a theoretical framework for emotional engineering in smart tourism and offers strategic recommendations for destination managers to foster sustainable competitiveness.