Beyond festivals: fostering cultural connections in tourism

The Integration of leisure fisheries and tourism illustrates efforts to modernize traditional industries, with Hainan’s Tanmen Sea-hunting Festival positioned as a cultural and tourism landmark. Existing initiatives, however, often prioritize economic gains while overlooking the cultural significance that fosters deeper tourist – destination bonds. This study addresses this gap by examining how festival experiences shape destination relational value, analyzing 326 valid responses from the 2024 Tanmen Festival using SEM. Findings indicate that festival experiences enhance relational value through the mediating effects of sense of belonging and cultural confidence, while cultural atmosphere and locality act as key moderators amplifying these effects. Theoretically, the research advances the SOR framework by integrating experiential, cultural, and psychological dimensions. Practically, it offers actionable guidance for designing emotionally engaging, culturally resonant festivals. Key contributions include extending the SOR model, highlighting belonging and cultural confidence as mediators, and demonstrating the moderating role of contextual factors on tourist loyalty.