HOW THE RITUAL INTERACTION OF LADYBOY CABARET SHOWS EVOKES MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE THROUGH EMOTIONAL ENERGY: THE MODERATING ROLE OF MULTICULTURALISM

Abstract

Exploring local culture is a way of helping tourists to have memorable travel experiences. Therefore, after COVID-19, a large number of Chinese tourists travelled aboard. Thailand is one of their favorite destinations, and watching ladyboy cabaret shows is a "must" tourist activity. To promote tourist activities for foreign tourists, understand how the ritual interaction of ladyboy cabaret shows evokes memorable travel experience is essential. Therefore, this study employes a mixed methods approach. Through a focus group meeting, it explores the elements of the ritual interaction of ladyboy cabaret shows. Through a questionnaire survey, it examines the relationship between ritual interaction elements and memorable travel experiences obtained. Considering successful interaction rituals generate emotional energy, and the tolerance of multicultural of tourists may help to generate the emotional energy, this study also tests the mediating effect of emotional energy and moderating role of multiculturalism. This study makes the following contributions. First, it contributes to tourism research in ritual interaction by refining the measurement scale of the ritual interaction for ladyboy cabaret shows. Second, it contributes to memorable travel experience research by investigating the mechanism from the ritual interaction to evoke memorable travel experience. Third, tourists travelling aboard are exposed to different ritual cultures, and this study contributes our knowledge by exploring the role of multiculturalism in enhancing tourists’ emotional energy in ritual activities. Understanding this role helps destinations to organize appropriate ritual activities for overseas tourists, enhancing tourists’ travel experience as well as promoting the unique cultures of the destinations.