The article “How do cartoon destination pictures inspire cartoon-induced tourism? Based on the associative network model and dual-coding theory.” jointly by Wu, X., and Lai, I.K.W. (MPU) has been published in Journal of Destination Marketing & Management.
Based on the associative network model and dual-coding theory, this study investigates whether cartoon destination pictures containing cartoon characters and classic quotes can evoke higher emotional intensity and cartoon-induced tourism impulses in viewers. Specifically, this study examines the mediating effect of emotional intensity, while also considering the moderating effect of the classic quotes. A between-subjects 2 (presence of cartoon characters vs. absence of cartoon characters) x 2 (presence of classic quotes vs. absence of classic quotes) factorial experiment was conducted. The results show that adding cartoon characters in pictures leads to higher emotional intensity and cartoon-induced tourism impulse. The presence of classic quotes moderates the effect of pictures on emotional intensity and cartoon-induced tourism impulse, and emotional intensity mediates the interactive effect of pictures and classic quotes on cartoon-induced tourism impulse. The study contributes to cartoon-induced tourism research by investigating the effectiveness of using pictures in promoting cartoon destinations.
The article can be read here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2025.100989