Do Tourists Prefer Dialectal Service? The Role of Processing Fluency, Distinctiveness, and Cultural Learning Cues

Serving tourists in dialect can be a double-edged sword, as the literature acknowledges it may hamper language processing fluency while offering a sense of distinctiveness for tourists. Building on Two-Factor Theory of Emotion, this research contributes to the literature by articulating a paradoxical process in which dialectal service can be internalized as both an enabling and an inhibiting factor in understanding a local culture. It further proposes a facilitating mechanism through cultural learning cues. We conducted three empirical experiments (Studies 1–3), followed by an external validation process through generative AI (Study 4), and finally employed methodological triangulation through semistructured interviews (Study 5). Through the explanatory lens of sequential mixed methods, the current inquiry further illuminates why and how dialects can add flavor to one’s travel by spicing up the cultural appeals of a place in such a way that can replace a bitter pill with an enjoyable reminiscence.