Cyclical or linear? Matching strategies of temporal perspective and anthropomorphic language in shaping heritage preservation commitment

Cultural heritage interpretation is an important initiative to encourage tourists to preserve culture, but it has received little scholarly attention. This study investigated how the temporal perspective priming (cyclical vs. linear) and anthropomorphic language (high vs. low) in heritage interpretation interact to shape tourists’ cultural preservation commitment. The findings demonstrate that when low anthropomorphic language is used, activating tourists’ linear temporal perspective through heritage interpretation increases their commitment to cultural preservation. When high anthropomorphic language is used, the cyclical temporal perspective priming increases tourists’ commitment to cultural preservation. The results also indicate the mediating roles of awe and meaningful experience as well as the moderating effect of life history strategy. This research contributes new knowledge to the underexplored area of heritage tourism interpretation, enriches the literature on cultural heritage tourism and provides insights into heritage conservation and sustainable tourism.