Pleasure with purpose: how prosocial beliefs shape tourist well-being and boost loyalty in community-oriented cultural festivals

Purpose Societal shifts in travel preferences increasingly emphasize experiences that blend pleasure with purpose. This study investigates how prosocial beliefs influence tourist well-being and loyalty within community-oriented cultural festivals. It integrates hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of well-being to understand how pleasure and purpose jointly drive revisit intentions and word of mouth. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the tri-component model of attitudes and the benefits theory of leisure well-being, a holistic model was developed and tested using data from 390 visitors to a One Tambon One Product (OTOP) festival in Thailand. A self-administered survey was conducted, and data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Prosocial beliefs, operationalized as prosocial self-congruity and prosocial value, significantly influence both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Hedonic well-being mediates the relationships between prosocial beliefs and both loyalty outcomes, whereas eudaimonic well-being mediates only word of mouth. Practical implications The findings offer practical insights for event organizers, government agencies and tourism stakeholders. Designing event experiences that foster prosocial beliefs while stimulating both enjoyment and meaning can enhance visitor loyalty and promote sustainable tourism development. Originality/value This study extends well-being theory by demonstrating that well-being functions as both an outcome and a mediating mechanism linking prosocial beliefs with loyalty. The effects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being illustrate the mechanisms through which prosocial beliefs translate into distinct loyalty outcomes, thereby deepening both theoretical and managerial understanding of prosocial tourism experiences.