From interaction rituals to entrepreneurial persistence behaviour: The roles of emotional energy and digital identity capital in tourism influencer entrepreneurship

Tourism influencer entrepreneurship has emerged as a new form of entrepreneurship in the tourism industry, yet it remains unclear how their interaction practices support entrepreneurial persistence behaviour. Drawing on interaction ritual chains theory, this study investigates how their interaction rituals influence entrepreneurial persistence behaviour. Data were collected through 526 on-site surveys of tourism influencers and analyzed using PLS–SEM and fsQCA. PLS–SEM results show that interaction rituals significantly enhance entrepreneurial persistence behaviour, mediated by emotional energy and digital identity capital, with emotional labour weakening these effects. The fsQCA results reveal multiple pathways to high entrepreneurial persistence behaviour. This study advances interaction ritual chains theory by introducing the concept of digital identity capital and elucidating how interaction-generated emotional energy supports tourism influencers' entrepreneurial persistence behaviour, while offering actionable guidance for influencers, digital platforms, and support organisations to design interaction strategies and manage emotional labour effectively.