Digital Technology in Tourism Dance Performance: Exploring the Influence of Tourists’ Flow Experience and Meaningful Experience on Revisit Intention

Digitization has permeated every aspect of industry, and the integration of immersive digital technology into traditional tourism dance performances has become a core concern in both theoretical and practical fields. However, existing literature lacks sufficient exploration on how the integration of immersive digital technology and tourism dance performances can improve tourist loyalty. Therefore, our research established a theoretical model based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework and tested our proposed hypothesis through the structural equation model. The research results indicate that authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment have a significant promoting effect on immersive experience and meaningful experience, which have a positive impact on tourists’ revisit intention. In addition, authenticity, esthetics and entertainment promote the improvement of revisiting intention through the mediating effect of flow experience and meaningful experience. This research expands the research context of authenticity theory and experience economy framework, and provides a new research perspective for tourism destination loyalty research. Our conclusion provides theoretical guidance for the sustainable development of tourist destinations.


I. INTRODUCTION
Immersive digital technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), are considered one of the most important technologies that affect the development of the tourism industry, as they can attract consumers, promote tourism destinations, and sell tourism services [1], [2].With the application of immersive digital technology in hotel experiences, destination brands, museum experiences, The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Andrea Bottino .theme parks, and intangible cultural heritage dance performances, the use of immersive digital technology has penetrated into multiple tourism industries [3], [4], [5].The application of immersive digital technology in these industries is based on the premise that it can change experiences and positively influence behavior [6].However, despite the wide-spread development of immersive digital technology in various tourism industries and the elucidation of its impact on changing the tourism experience, empirical research on how immersive digital technology can contribute to the development of intangible cultural heritage dance performances and have an impact on consumer attitudes and behaviors is limited.With the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on people's lives becoming less and less, holidays have become safer, and tourism is gradually recovering.It is the responsibility of tourism marketers to formulate correct strategies to ensure that their destinations remain attractive.Therefore, the immersive digital technology can enable tourists to improve the possibility of visiting their destinations again through the immersive sensory experience.
With the maturity of immersive digital technology and the deepening of research, intangible cultural heritage dance performances centered on flow experience have gradually emerged in front of the public.Based on digital technology and centered on experience, they shape real sensory sensations, break free from the constraints of reality, and bring tourists a sense of participation, experience, and immersion [7].Digital technology has brought about the interaction between technology and the body, virtual and reality, actors and audiences in dance art, which has a continuous and profound impact on the concept, techniques, and viewing environment of dance creation.However, despite the increasing interest in immersive digital technology among academia and practitioners, research is mainly conceptual [8], and therefore, empirical work has been limited to date.As the role of immersive digital technology in tourism dance performance becomes more prominent, it is necessary to examine the core mysteries of the breakthrough brought by immersive digital technology to the development of tourism dance performance.Secondly, previous literature only considered the mechanism by which brand authenticity affects brand selection and brand love [9], or studied the mechanism by which the experience economy framework enhances consumer satisfaction, recommendation intention, and purchase intention [10].This study innovatively incorporates the authenticity theory and experience economy framework into the research context of tourism dance performance, expanding the applicability of the authenticity theory and experience economy framework in the digital technology environment.Additionally, by integrating authenticity theory and experience economy theory across different disciplines, this research overcomes the limitations imposed by a single research field and theoretical perspective.It enhances and expands the understanding of improving tourists' revisit intentions from various research perspectives.Finally, previous studies have shown that flow experience is a state of mind in which tourists are completely attracted by activities and enjoy them [11].Nevertheless, this study suggests that the loyalty of tourists to dance performances cannot solely rely on this fleeting pleasure, but should allow tourists to gain a profound touch and infection by identifying with the culture and values conveyed in dance performances, thereby gaining a meaningful experience.At present, research in the field of tourism entertainment has paid more attention to flow experience, but there is a lack of indepth research on the concept and mechanism of meaningful experience.
The present study rests its theoretical foundation on the SOR framework, popularly known as Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, proposed by Mehrabian and Russell [32], and a very popular model in environmental psychology.The SOR theoretical framework has an extensive history of use and has evolved considerably since its first conceptualization.It was and remains a strongly suitable model for explaining the effect of external environment on tourist responses [38].It is consistent with our research questions, namely the effect of immersive digital technology on behavioral intention in dance performance.This study is based on the SOR framework, combined with the practical background of the integration of traditional cultural tourism and modern digital technology.It constructs a theoretical model for the authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment of immersive digital technology that influences tourist revisit intention through flow and meaningful experiences.Authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment as stimulus (S), flow experience and meaningful experience as organisms (O), and revisit intention as response (R).Specifically, this study aims to address the following research questions by constructing a theoretical model: (1) study the impact of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment on flow experience and meaningful experience; (2) explore the mediating role of flow experience and meaningful experience between authenticity, esthetics, entertainment, and revisit intention; and (3) explore the impact of flow experience and meaningful experience on revisit intention.We surveyed a sample of 338 tourists in China.We analyzed the data using structural equation modelling for the measurement model and a regression method was performed according to the PROCESS macro of Hayes with bootstraps for the structural model.
By exploring these three issues, the innovative contributions that this study tries to make are mainly as follows: First, our research refines the definitions and characteristics of immersive digital technology and tourism dance performing by systematically sorting out relevant literature, and summarizes the development trend of integrating them.This is helpful to deepen the theoretical understanding of immersive digital technology and tourism dance performance in existing literature.Secondly, based on the SOR framework, this study constructs a research model to systematically analyze the effects and internal mechanisms of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment on revisit intentions.The important role of authenticity theory and experience economic framework has been strengthened, and the interpretation of the loyalty of tourism dance performance in existing literature has been expanded.Finally, the relevant conclusions of this study help to fully understand the core role of flow experience and meaningful experience in improving tourists' loyalty, and help to explore the growth path of traditional performance forms relying on digital technology.Meanwhile, this study determines an effective mechanism to enhance tourists' loyalty by improving authenticity, esthetics and entertainment, which can provide valuable reference for the design and development of tourism dance performances.The part of this paper is as follows: Firstly, the core concepts involved in the paper such as immersive digital technology, flow experience and meaningful experience are summarized.Then, based on the relevant literature, the research hypotheses related to authenticity, esthetics, entertainment, flow experience, meaningful experience and revisit intention are proposed.Next, the utilized research methods and the analysis results are introduced.Finally, the research findings, theoretical and practical contribution and limitations of the research are discussed, and the development direction of future research is provided.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW A. IMMERSIVE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND TOURISM DANCE PERFORMANCE
Immersive digital technology, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR), has been widely studied.As a digital environment that extends or replaces the real environment of users, the real-virtual continuum phenomenon has been redesigned [12], [13], [14].As disruptive technologies, they constitute an innovative information system that overlay the real and virtual world, shifting the traditional tangible points of interaction in the virtual environment [12], [13].Based on the existing research, this study defines the immersive digital technology in tourism as: using non-, semi-, or fully immersive digital technology to provide synthetic or real-life capture content to stimulate users' visual senses and potential other senses for the purpose of planning, management, marketing, entertainment, accessibility or heritage preservation, either prior to, during or after travel [15].Immersive digital technology provides infinite possibilities for dance performance, which endows the virtual scene with aesthetic feeling and real live effect.The dance Night Banquet in Palace of Tang Dynasty (FIGURE 1.) launched in 2021 uses 3D, AR, 5G and other technologies to integrate the virtual scene with the real stage, and put songs and dances into the virtual museum scene, creating an ideal space for the integration of virtual and reality, classical and modern, culture and technology.
Tourism performing refers to a performance or show that take place within tourist attractions or other performance venues in a tourist destination [16].They primarily showcase the historical culture or folk customs of the region and are presented in various forms such as acrobatics, singing, dancing, and traditional storytelling.These performances or shows are intended for the enjoyment of tourists.As a new product in the growth process of the tourism industry, the tourism entertainment industry not only meets the needs of tourists for understanding and experiencing local culture, but also promotes the extension of the tourism industry chain.As an artistic form of tourism performance, dance performance has the function of inheriting and protecting cultural heritage, effectively promoting the development of dance culture, and is gradually becoming the focus of attention for the inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage dance.At present, academic research on dance tourism mainly focuses on motivation, tourist perception, satisfaction, and other aspects.Scholars have studied and developed that the external motivations for tourists to watch intangible cultural heritage dance performances mainly include socializing, conformity, and understanding traditional culture, while the internal motivations include enjoyment, relieving stress, and satisfying curiosity [17], [18], [19].
The application of immersive VR experiences in tourism has amplified in both practice and theory in recent years [6].With the assistance of immersive digital technology, dance performance has transformed from an exhibition-based performance approach centered on dance ontology to an immersive interactive performance centered on experience.Researchers have reached a consensus that immersive digital technology can enable marketers to enhance consumer involvement and influence consumer attitudes and behaviors by offering lifelike authentic and enjoyable experiences [2], [20], [21].Immersive digital technology can immerse consumers in intangible cultural heritage dance performances by providing multiple artistic forms and visual feast, providing consumers with a completely relaxed and enjoyable world [1].Immersive digital technology has permeated various aspects of dance art, such as choreography, performance, presentation, and dissemination, and is constructing new scenes that combine reality with virtual reality, as well as alternating immersion and interaction.Immersive digital technology has the potential to influence travel consumers across the customer journey, from pre-purchase, during purchase, to post-purchase stages [7].Specifically, immersive digital technology can be utilized in the pre-travel stage to deliver inspiring content to consumers, aiming to attract them to visit the destination.Moreover, immersive digital technology can also enhance the program effects of excellent intangible cultural heritage dances during the travel phase, bringing tourists a new artistic experience and enhancing the cultural connotation of tourism.Lastly, in the post-travel phase, immersive digital technology can be used to repeat the travel experience where tourists can draw on their memory of their experience.Therefore, more and more scholars are not only focusing on exploring the benefits of immersive digital technology in tourism dance performances, but also emphasizing the role of immersive digital technology in enhancing tourism experiences and facilitating immersive experiences [20], [22].

B. FLOW EXPERIENCE AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE
Flow experience was initially defined as a holistic sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement [23].Specifically, when people focus on their activities, they narrow their focus of consciousness and filter out irrelevant perceptions and thoughts by losing self-awareness, feedback on goals, and control over the environment [23].Although scholars have reached a consensus on this general definition, the approach to this concept in social science literature is vastly different.Some studies have conceptualized the flow experience from the perspective of enjoyment, defining it as the extent to which users are attracted, engaged, and immersed in virtual stimuli, enhancing cognitive and affective evaluations when utilizing new technologies and media [24].There are also studies that conceptualize flow experiences in the context of AR and VR as a mental state where complete involvement, enjoyment, and loss of one's senses of time and space are accompanied [25].Kim and Ko [26] conceptualized flow experience in VR as a psychological state that entailing enjoyment, cognitive absorption, and time distortion.Flow experiences typically exhibit characteristics such as a combination of action and consciousness, high concentration of attention, loss of self-awareness, distorted sense of time, and internal pleasure.In the context of tourism dance performances, flow experience emphasizes a sense of being present and immersive.Tourists can gain flow experience by walking and watching, role-playing, interacting with actors at zero distance, and integrating into the plot [17].
Different from flow experience, meaningful experience refers to a person's psychological state of having a meaningful feeling and a deeper understanding of the events he has experienced [27].Meaningful experience, which requires that the experience is not only unforgettable.The meaningful experience can be investigated in two aspects, namely, the objective real world and the subjective cognitive world.The former provides the material for the latter, and the latter processes the former [28].Among them, meaning is the cognitive experience produced in the interaction between people and the world, and it is the result of imaginative concept operation [29].Some studies regard meaningful experience as a dimension of aesthetic experience, and define it as promoting the connection between oneself and activities through interactive participation and reflection [30], [31].In the field of tourism dance performing, there are obvious differences between meaningful experience and flow experience.Flow experience is task-centered, and tourists pay attention to the tourist dance performance itself, including stage effect, scene atmosphere and actor performance, which reflects that tourists' attention is limited to the dance performance itself [28].In contrast, meaningful experience is a reflection and understanding of the relationship between the task environment and self, emphasizing the connection between the content of tourism dance performances and tourists themselves [27].Tourists' attention focuses on their knowledge and understanding of local culture, their understanding of human emotions, and their inspiration and thinking about life difficulties.

C. SOR FRAMEWORK
The Stimuli-Organism-Response (SOR) framework is one of the basic theories in the field of psychology, which constructs the relationship between external environment, individual psychology, and behavior.The purpose is to explore the process of external environmental stimuli affecting individual consumption behavior [32], and gradually extends from psychology to multiple disciplines such as marketing, management, library and information, and tourism.The SOR indicates that various situational factors (stimuli), as antecedent variables, can affect human cognition and emotions (organism), leading to approaching or avoidance behavior (responses) [33].According to relevant research, specific situations as environmental stimuli can elicit a positive user experience and promote the formation of sustained willingness [34].This framework explains that when an individual is stimulated by the external environment, it triggers their cognitive and emotional states, which in turn triggers their behavioral intentions and psychological outcomes.This is a process in which stimuli from external factors strengthen people's internal states [35].The positive role of this framework is to reveal the relationship between the emotional state of individuals after being stimulated and their behavioral intentions.
The SOR framework is applicable to this study for two reasons.Firstly, the SOR model has been widely applied in previous research on tourist behavior [21].Su and Swanson [36] used the SOR model to explore the mechanism of social responsibility perception on tourists' environmental behavior.Kim, Lee, and Jung [21] conducted a study on virtual reality tourism consumer behavioral willingness based on an extended SOR framework.Meanwhile, some scholars have extended the SOR model by incorporating telepresence and social presence as stimuli and elucidating these factors' possible interplay in jointly shaping users' cognition, affection, and (re)visit intentions [37].Thus, it can be seen that the SOR model can reasonably reveal the mechanism of external stimuli on tourist behavior.Secondly, SOR theory has the dual attributes of meta-theory and instrumental theory.It provides a concise and structured framework for studying tourist behavior by offering a clear explanation of the relationship between the external environment, user internal states, and subsequent behavioral changes, based on a dynamic perspective that encompasses the dimensions of stimulus, organism, and response.Therefore, considering the key roles of technological environment and virtual experience in influencing tourist behavior, in this study, the SOR framework was employed as a concise and structured approach to examine the impact of technological features (stimuli) on tourist experiences (organism), subsequently assessing the intention of revisit by tourists (response) [38].

III. HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT A. AUTHENTICITY, FLOW EXPERIENCE, AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE
The core value of tourism dance performance related experiences lies in authenticity [39], [40].Without authenticity, people cannot believe that they have established a connection with the facts that have already occurred, nor can they gain any meaning and value related to traditional culture.Authenticity is defined as the degree to which individuals perceive novel, real, exceptional, and unique experiences to be genuine, original, or true [21].Therefore, authenticity in the experiential context is essentially a subjective construction based on individuals' own perceptions and expectations, and there are differences among consumers [41].Related studies have found that tourists can negotiate and change the authenticity of their experiences during the tourism process based on the context they construct [42].Constructivist authenticity believes that authenticity is a product of social and cultural construction, and whether it is true or not depends on the individual tourist.It reflects the tourist's own ideology, expectations, preferences, and subjective imagery, and is highly correlated with the environment [43].The concept of authenticity in this study is based on an understanding of authentic scenes and immersive digital technology.It refers to the extent to which tourists perceive all the relevant characteristics associated with an object or scene, as well as the degree to which these mental representations align with visual depictions [44].When tourists perceive that the historical and cultural elements presented by dance performances and digital technology are closely related to their imagined historical prototypes, they will perceive a higher level of authenticity.
The interactive virtual environment brought about by immersive digital technology, including computer games, 360 • video-tours, or virtual reality, has been considered to have the ability to enhance the realistic representation of the real world to offer an authentic experience [45].Therefore, such high-level interactive and media-rich immersive digital technology may influence the extent to which visual representation replaces substantive information search and substitute the real world [46].In addition, in the context of computer game players, the authentic environment along with sensory interaction can bring a higher level of immersion and entertainment [47].Similarly, Mura, Tavakoli, and Sharif [48] conceptualize that VR enables tourists to perceive real environments and imagine real experiences, and sensory participation is a potentially important element of experiential authenticity.Existing studies have shown that realistic interactions and rich stimuli affect the immersion of virtual environments within online shopping websites [49], [50].In the field of tourism, Guttentag [51] outlined that tourism consumers' perception of the authenticity of tourism brought about by immersive digital technology is a key variable in their sense of immersion and overall recognition of the tourism experience.Given that immersive digital technology provides more interactive, rich, and complete pictorial expression for tourism dance performances, compared to technologies with lower interactivity and fewer media resources, the authenticity experienced through this technology is likely to provide tourists with a more flow experience.That, we hypothesize: H1 Authenticity has a positive impact on flow experience.Tourists' perception of the authenticity of tourism dance performances will be one factor influencing his or her perception of the performance as meaningful.Research has pointed out that modern tourists seek real experiences and feelings that arise through diverse forms of tourism projects, away from or free from the constraints of daily life [52].Therefore, tourists may have a deeper understanding of the psychological state of destinations that offer diverse dance performances, as individuals acquiring authentic knowledge may have long-term and meaningful characteristics.The authenticity of tourists is a prerequisite for meaningful experience, which is reflected in two aspects: firstly, based on the immersive digital technology and the sensory enjoyment brought by dance performances, through individual recognition and processing of authenticity, memory and emotions are awakened, and emotional resonance and identification are triggered [53].Secondly, in the tourism experience, traditional culture is presented in close proximity to tourists through dance performance and digital technology interaction, stimulating individual cultural, ethnic, and historical identity.Tourists' identification with Chinese culture has become an important part of their meaningful experience [54].In summary, tourism dance performances allow tourists to appreciate and learn in an open atmosphere through various immersive digital technologies, creating a true perception of past life, thinking, understanding, and rediscovering themselves in a shared and unique tourism cultural space.That, we hypothesize: H2 Authenticity has a positive impact on meaningful experience.

B. ESTHETICS, FLOW EXPERIENCE, AND MEANING EXPERIENCE
Recently, in the field of tourism, research has begun to use the experience economy framework as a theoretical basis to explore the impact of immersive digital technology, which includes four parts of experience: education, esthetics, escapism, and entertainment [55].In the context of the visitor economy, this research direction is very valuable, considering the importance of enhancing visitor experiences through various forms of interaction to increase or maintain visitor numbers, improve engagement, and generate positive wordof-mouth to ensure future sustainable development [56].Among the four dimensions of the experience economy, esthetics and entertainment are the key to creating positive and unforgettable consumer experiences in the context of applied technology [57].Therefore, combined with the topic of this research, we mainly explore the impact mechanism of esthetics and entertainment on flow experience in the framework of experiential economy.
Esthetics refers to users' complete and pleasurable immersion in the authentic tourism experience [57].Pallud and Straub [58] suggests that esthetics represents the most important criteria of dance performance, which ultimately determines whether travelers are satisfied with their destination and whether they have the intention to revisit it in the future.Similarly, existing cross-cultural research in the field of AR and concluded that esthetics is particularly important as it can compensate for the technological limitations of many current AR devices [59].According to the research of Quadri Felitti and Fiore [60], immersion occurs when consumers are physically or virtually surrounded by beauty.Through high quality information technology (i.e., vivid, visually-attractive graphics), esthetics can drive tourists to immerse themselves in the process of dance performances [61].Therefore, this means that if the aesthetic value of tourism dance performances is higher, it will bring tourists a better flow experience.Meanwhile, in tourism and hotel literature, Bonn et al. [62] pointed out that the physical environment of heritage sites plays an important role in determining tourists' understanding of the objective world, future willingness to visit, and recommendation willingness.Due to the nature of immersive digital technology, tourism dance performances provide tourists with an aesthetic experience, allowing them to relax and enjoy, and paying attention to the connection between tourism dance performance content and tourists themselves during this process [63].That, we hypothesize: H3 Esthetics has a positive impact on flow experience.H4 Esthetics has a positive impact on meaningful experience.

C. ENTERTAINMENT, FLOW EXPERIENCE, AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE
Entertainment refers to activities or performances that provide entertainment and pleasure [64].The entertainment experience occurs commonly when tourists passively observe activities and/or performances of others, including listening to music and reading for pleasures at destinations [76].Entertainment is particularly prominent in the context of immersive digital technology.Jung et al. [59] studied the potential of AR to generate entertainment value and found that AR increases consumer perception and enjoyment of the experience, and the desire for entertainment is the main driving force behind the use of AR and VR technology.Therefore, entertainment promotes people to immerse themselves more deeply in technology enhanced experiences [65].
Essentially, entertainment is an important component of tourism products [10].Most tourist destinations with dance performances as their core can provide tourists with various forms of entertainment through various forms of performances [59].For example, the song and dance epic ''Charming Xiangxi'' showcases the most advanced technological means to present the most original cultural essence, with nature and humanity as the background.It focuses on the six main ethnic groups residing in Xiangxi -Miao, Yao, Dong, Bai, Tujia, and Han, and vividly interprets the production labor, religious rituals, marriage and funeral customs, and national sentiments of the ethnic minorities in Xiangxi through four chapters: Romantic Xiangxi, Mysterious Xiangxi, Joyful Xiangxi, and Passionate Xiangxi.This series of dance performances, through careful design, has high entertainment value to attract audiences of different ages and professions.The keywords for flow and meaningful experiences are emotions, which are brought about by the entertaining things that our senses perceive, which can affect the impressions formed in our minds, leading to emotional reactions such as joy or anxiety [66].When these emotions are strong and complex, they can bring more flow and meaningful experiences, which become more memorable compared to ordinary experiences.That, we hypothesize: H5 Entertainment has a positive impact on flow experience.
H6 Eentertainment has a positive impact on meaningful experience.

D. FLOW EXPERIENCE, MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE, AND REVISIT INTENTION
Revisit intention refers to the possibility of tourists returning to their destination to participate in tourism activities [67].According to the SOR framework, flow and meaningful experiences belonging to the category of organism will have an impact on the revisit intention.In the field of information systems, some scholars have emphasized the importance of user hedonic experience in ensuring the continuous existence of information systems in the workplace [68], [69].Therefore, researchers have widely used the concept of flow experience in information system literature, based on the hypotheses that fully immersing oneself in an activity will bring higher enjoyment, which in turn leads to users' intention to purchase again and continue using [68], [69].According to the flow theory, flow experience reflects the state of deep user engagement.In addition, existing studies have also provided evidence that flow experience is crucial for reuse, usage intention, and sustained intention [70], [71].Extending to tourism research, immersing oneself in the tourism activities involved has important value in enhancing tourists' intention to revisit.Research has pointed out that dance performances offer a deeply flow experience outside of everyday life, and exposure to different cultures, societies, and natural landscapes can foster positive behavioral intentions in tourists, such as tourist destination loyalty (revisit intention and recommendation intention) [53].Therefore, flow experience is an important psychological state, in which tourists deeply appreciate the visual enjoyment brought by dance performances, which increases their intention to visit again.That, we hypothesize: H7 Flow experience has a positive impact on revisit intention.When people enter a state of meaningful experience, they will continue and repeatedly participate in an activity because they feel that their needs for progress or self-growth have been met [72].In this sense, meaningful experience is the core driving force for users to revisit or continue to visit.In the context of tourism, the meaningful experience formed based on the functional attributes and cultural values of the tourist destination and its connection with tourists' meaning will further trigger positive emotional reactions generated by tourists due to emotional release or spiritual epiphany, including recommendation intentions, revisit intentions, etc. [73].A study has found that satisfaction with tourism motivations based on meaningful experiences, such as self-growth and education, can significantly stimulate tourists' loyalty to the destination (including revisit intention) [53].Therefore, when tourists explore and reflect on their own information while enjoying dance performances, they will feel that they are meaningfully participating in dance performances, increasing their understanding of culture, ethnicity, and traditions, which is conducive to their intention to visit again.Based on the above discussion, we infer that meaningful experience is an effective prerequisite for tourists to generate revisit intentions.That, we hypothesize: H8 Meaningful experience has a positive impact on revisit intention.

E. MEDIATING ROLE OF FLOW EXPERIENCE AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE
The above analysis describes the impact of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment on flow experience and meaningful experience, as well as the impact of flow experience and meaningful experience on revisit intentions.It is easy to see from it that authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment can have an impact on revisit intentions through flow experience and meaningful experience.Pallud and Straub [58] argue that factors leading to flow and meaningful experiences can also lead to an increase in revisit intention.Education, esthetics, escapism, and entertainment within the framework of the experiential economy can enhance revisit intention, and this relationship can be explained by increasing flow and meaningful experiences [58].Authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment can influence revisit intention by inducing flow experience and meaningful experience.Immersive digital technology provides more interactive, rich, and complete artistic enjoyment for tourism dance performances.During the process of appreciating the performance, tourists perceive authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment value, which helps to promote immersion and inspire people to think about meaning [74].According to the theory of emotional arousal, flow experience and meaningful experience can stimulate individuals' positive emotional reactions, which are loyalty attitudes that include revisit intentions [75].In the context of this research, with the advancement of dance performances, the information captured by tourists through their senses will be analyzed and organized, triggering real sensory perception, esthetic perception, and entertainment perception.This will bring about the values and information conveyed by dance performances that are associated with individual meaningful experiences, and subsequently trigger emotional reactions about revisiting intentions.That, we hypothesize: H9a Flow experience mediates the positive relationship between (a) authenticity, (b) esthetics, (c) entertainment and revisit intention.
H9b Meaningful experience mediates the positive relationship between (a) authenticity, (b) esthetics, (c) entertainment and revisit intention.FIGURE 2. summarizes the above-mentioned hypotheses and integrates them into a conceptual framework.

IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A. RESEARCH OBJECTS AND SAMPLES
In the design of the questionnaire, to increase the number of valid questionnaires, considering the research context of this study (i.e., exploring how immersive digital technology can enhance visitors' flow and meaningful experiences in dance performances and increase their revisit intention), the target people for this survey is tourists who have watched dance performances immersive digital technologies within tourist attractions and destinations.After the formal questionnaire was prepared, it was distributed in online form.To avoid homologous variance, the sample data sources are divided into two parts.The first part published the network link and questionnaire instructions in the tourism online community through the online platform Baidu AI Cloud, and invited tourists to fill out the questionnaire.By setting a test question at the beginning of the questionnaire, ''Have you attended any dance performances in the last three years that incorporated digital technology, such Impression Liu Sanjie, Charming Xiangxi, Impression Pingyao, and so on?)'' to screen eligible participants.The second part of the sample was distributed through the sample service of Baidu AI Cloud.Baidu AI Cloud can limit the surveyed objects and distribute the questionnaire to tourists who have watched Impression Liu Sanjie, thus ensuring that the questionnaire is delivered more accurately.The overall survey period is from August 10th to September 3rd, 2023.To ensure the validity and reliability of the collected data, a test question is placed in the midst of the questionnaire: ''This question is provided to verify that you are reading the survey thoroughly.Please choose 'strongly disagree.'''In this study, 400 questionnaires were distributed.62 respondents who may have responded carelessly or without much thought and were eliminated, resulting in a final sample of 338 respondents.The questionnaire validity rate is 84.5%.
The collected effective data was imported into SPSS22.0statistical software for analysis.According to the descriptive statistical analysis of the sample, a majority of the surveyed individuals are female, comprising 61.8% of the total population.The majority of the age distribution falls within the range of 26 to 35 years, accounting for 43.8% of the total sample.The majority of participants hold a bachelor's degree, accounting for 50.9% of the total.In terms of income, a higher proportion of respondents fall within the monthly income range of 5001-8000, accounting for 29.6% of the total sample.

B. QUESTIONNAIRE AND VARIABLE MEASUREMENT
The survey questionnaire for our study consists of three main parts, with the first part being the questionnaire description that outlines the research purpose and objectives.The questionnaire's core content is presented in the second section, encompassing measurement items for six variables: authenticity, esthetics, entertainment, and others.The Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 7, is utilized, with 1 denoting ''strongly disagree'' and 7 denoting ''strongly agree''.The third part consists of demographic variables, including gender, age, and education level.
To validate the research model, all of the items have been adapted from the commonly cited scales.The scale for authenticity (M =4.12, SD =1.62) is based on the research conducted by McLean and Barhorst [46].The measurement of esthetics (M = 4.15, SD = 1.51) and entertainment (M = 3.69, SD =1.54) is modified from scales developed in previous studies [76].The scale for flow experience (M =3.88, SD =1.53) is based on the research by Wu and Liang [77] and Suh et al. [27], while the scale for meaningful experience (M =4.40, SD =1.72) refers to the one by Suh et al. [27].The measurement of revisit intention (M =4.14, SD =1.67) is based on the scale developed by Hutchinson, Lai, and Wang [78].The questionnaire was developed in English and translated into Standard Chinese using back-translation technique.The respondents were Chinese, making it easier for them to understand the questionnaire in standard Chinese.We first conducted a pilot study and shared the questionnaire with 53 tourists.We dedicated space to each question for their comments.The comments we received helped us to refine and finalize the questionnaire (TABLE 1).

1) COMMON METHOD VARIANCE TEST
Since the questionnaire used in this study was filled out by the same person at the same time, there may be a potential issue of common method bias in the data from the same source.Therefore, we provided necessary explanations during the data collection process, such as informing participants that the data obtained will only be used for scientific research purposes and ensuring the anonymity of the participants.In order to enhance the rigor of the research, following the completion of data collection, this study introduced a method factor and conducted a test for common method bias utilizing a two-factor model.Initially, a confirmatory factor analysis model (M1) was established.Following this, a model (M2) comprising a method factor was constructed, which entailed the incorporation of a global factor (G1) as the method factor into M1.When comparing models M1 and M2, the major fit indices are as follows: CFI=0.018,PGFI=0.014,RMSEA=0.002.The changes in each fit index were less than 0.02, indicating that the addition of the method factor did not significantly improve the model, and there was no significant common method bias in the measurement.

2) SCALE RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, AND THE GOODNESS-OF-FIT OF THE MODEL
In terms of reliability, this study employed the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients, as shown in Table 1.The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients ranged from 0.889 to 0.952, higher than the 0.7 benchmark standard, indicating good reliability of the data.
For validity tests, the most commonly used validity measures are convergent validity and discriminant validity.To evaluate convergent validity, this study employed various indicators, such as standardized loading, composite reliability (C.R.), and average variance extracted (AVE), to measure the variation explanatory power of each latent variable's measurement item.Following the suggested guidelines, this research examined the relevant indicators, and the findings are displayed in Table 1.The standardized factor loadings range from 0.703 to 0.947, all exceeding the acceptable threshold of 0.6, indicating the independence among variables.According to the criteria set by Bagozzi and Yi [79], the minimum threshold for C.R. is 0.6.In this research, all C.R. values are above 0.8, satisfying the criteria.The above two indicators meet the requirements, indicating a good level of internal consistency among the dimensions in the scale.To examine the discriminant validity among the key variables of ''authenticity'', ''esthetics'', ''entertainment'', ''flow experience'', ''meaningful experience'', and ''revisit intention'', this study conducted confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 22.0.When comparing the six-factor model, five-factor model, four-factor model, threefactor model, two-factor model, and one-factor model, the benchmark model, the six-factor model, demonstrates a better fit with χ2/df=2.886,p<0.001;CFI=0.96,PNFI=0.779,RMSEA=0.075.All indicators meet the ideal requirements for a good model.In addition, the chi-square value of the six-factor model is significantly superior to that of other alternative models, and all fit indices are also better than those of other alternative models, suggesting that the six variables examined in this study possess good discriminant validity.

3) HYPOTHESIS TEST
To verify the direct effects of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment value on flow experience and meaningful experience, as well as the direct effects of flow experience and meaningful experience on revisit intention, our study conducted regression analysis with authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment value as independent variables and flow experience as the dependent variable.The statistical results indicate that authenticity (β = 0.862, p < 0.001), esthetics (β = 0.851, p < 0.001), and entertainment (β = 0.863, p < 0.001) significantly and positively influence flow experience.Hypotheses H1, H3, and H5 are supported.In addition, authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment were employed as independent variables in a regression analysis with meaningful experience as the dependent variable.The research findings demonstrate that authenticity (β = 0.725, p < 0.001), esthetics (β = 0.702, p < 0.001), and entertainment (β = 0.695, p < 0.001) positively impact on meaningful experience.Hypotheses H2, H4, and H6 are supported.Lastly, to examine the direct effects of flow experience and meaningful experience on revisit intention, Model 3 was developed.The findings reveal that flow experience significantly influences revisit intention (β = 0.843, p < 0.001), and meaningful experience also exerts a positive impact on revisit intention (β = 0.718, p < 0.001).Hypotheses H8 and H9 are supported.Table 2 presents the results.
To test the mediating effects of flow experience and meaningful experience, the Bootstrap method was utilized in this research.A total of 5000 repeated samples were drawn, with a 95% confidence interval.The mediation model was examined using Model 4 from the SPSS plugin ''Process''.Firstly, the mediating effect of flow experience was examined.The independent variables are authenticity, aesthetics, and entertainment, the mediating variable is flow experience, the dependent variable is revisit intention, and the control variables include gender, age, education, and monthly income.The mediating effect analysis for flow experience is presented in Table 3.The direct effect values of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment on revisit intention were 0.339, 0.351, and 0.200, respectively.The range of confidence intervals for these values are: [0.776, 0.888], [0.736, 0.878], and [0.766, 0.911].None of these confidence interval results included 0. It can be concluded that there is a significant mediating effect of flow experience, as authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment positively impact revisit intention through flow experience.Hypothesis H9a has been supported.
This study further verifies the mediating effect of meaningful experience.The mediation model was examined using the Model 4 analysis in the SPSS plugin Process, with authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment as the independent variables, meaningful experience as the mediating variable, revisit intention as the dependent variable, and gender, age, education, and monthly income are control variables.Table 4 reveals that the indirect effects of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment on revisit intention, mediated by meaningful experience, are 0.204, 0.308, and 0.262, respectively.At the 95% confidence level, the confidence intervals for these parameters are [0.124,0.300], [0.211, 0.416], and [0.179, 0.361], respectively.The mediating effect of meaningful experience is significant, confirming hypothesis H9b.

V. DISCUSSION
The important role and crucial position of immersive digital technology in tourism dance performances are thoroughly explored in this study, utilizing the SOR framework.The impact effects of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment on flow experience and meaningful experience in dance performances, as well as the mechanisms by which flow experience and meaningful experience influence revisit intention, are systematically analyzed.The following are the main findings.
Firstly, in the context of tourism dance performances, the authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment brought by immersive digital technology all have an impact on flow experience and meaningful experience.This finding is consistent with previous studies [37], [46].The findings suggest that immersive digital technology can create interactive virtual environments that enhance the authenticity of the physical world, elevate aesthetic experiences in both physical and virtual domains, and generate entertainment value.These attributes promote tourists' immersion in dance performances and encourage self-reflection, cognition, and understanding within touristic cultural spaces.Secondly, flow experience and meaningful experience significantly influence revisit intention.The findings indicate that when immersed in the experience, tourists tend to get lost in the moment, disregarding the passage of time.This heightened emotional 46356 VOLUME 12, 2024 Authorized licensed use limited to the terms of the applicable license agreement with IEEE.Restrictions apply.connection with the dance performance leads to positive affect, ultimately influencing their decision to revisit.On the other hand, in a state of meaningful experience, tourists actively construct a connection between themselves and the narrative of the dance performance.By contemplating the content of the dance, they identify with cultural values, which subsequently influences their intention to revisit.Lastly, both flow experience and meaningful experience serve as mediators between the authenticity, esthetics, entertainment, and revisit intention.This finding also supports earlier research in destination marketing, hotel booking, and museum tourism [14], [37], [46].Moreover, it extends the research in the context of cultural tourism and provides empirical evidence.In other words, when tourists perceive a higher level of authenticity, aesthetic appeal, and entertainment value, they are more likely to experience a stronger sense of immersion and meaning from the dance performance, ultimately leading to a greater inclination to revisit the destination.

A. THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION
This study has made some theoretical contributions.Firstly, this study deepens the theoretical understanding of immersive digital technology in tourism dance performance research based on the SOR framework, and enriches the existing literature on the meaning and characteristic research of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment of tourism dance performance.At present, research on tourism performance is mostly conducted from the perspectives of industry and economy [18], and a small amount of research on tourists' perception and experience of tourism performance is mainly focused on the evaluation of tourism performance quality [80].This study further clarifies the key role of immersive digital technology in tourism dance performances through systematic literature review, and clarifies that applying immersive digital technology to dance performances can bring tourists a sense of authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment, which helps the academic community to understand and think about immersive digital technology and tourism dance performances.
Secondly, a theoretical connection has been established between authenticity theory, experiential economy framework, and tourism dance performance literature.Previous research on authenticity mainly focused on the fields of brand authenticity [81] and advertising authenticity [82], while research on the framework of experiential economy mainly focused on story marketing, cruise experience [10], and cultural heritage tourism [59].However, few studies have focused on the experiential authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment brought about by dance performances, namely the authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment generated by the enhanced experience caused by immersive digital technology.This study explores authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment as important factors that may affect flow experience and meaningful experience, expanding the application scope of authenticity theory and experiential economy framework.
Finally, this study reveals the inherent mechanism of the impact of flow experience and meaningful experience on tourists' revisit intention, filling the gap in existing research that lacks attention to digital technology when explaining revisit intentions.The existing research on the intention to revisit tourist destinations mainly focuses on two aspects: tourists' perception of tourist destination attributes and quality evaluation [83].Although a few studies have focused on flow experience, emotional response, and cognitive evaluation, there is a lack of systematic analysis of the specific pathways through which flow experience and meaningful experience affect revisiting intention from an integrated theoretical perspective [77].This study is based on the SOR framework, using authenticity, esthetics, and entertainment as stimuli, flow experience and meaningful experience as the organism, and revisit intentions as responses.A theoretical model is constructed to deeply analyze and validate the key roles of flow and meaningful experiences.And further clarified the core role of flow experience and meaningful experience in improving tourist loyalty and promoting tourists to revisit their destination.

B. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
In addition to the above theoretical contributions mentioned, this study also has several practical implications.Firstly, investors and operators need to deepen their understanding of immersive digital technology and enhance its application in dance performances.The scene created by immersive digital technology is an extension and reconstruction of real time and space.In a digital immersive environment, tourists are exposed to strong audio-visual stimuli, coupled with the shaping of the situational atmosphere by dance performances, which can allow tourists to experience traditional culture firsthand.Furthermore, the positive emotional attitude of tourists provides convenience for the transformation of consumer behavior, including purchasing symbolic peripheral products, recommending destinations and dance performances to others, or generating the intention to visit the destination again.Additionally, the development of immersive digital technology in dance performances can cultivate new artistic viewing habits for tourists, allowing them to immerse themselves in deeper communication with works, and better understand traditional culture and values.
Secondly, for tourism destinations, it is necessary to pay attention to the authenticity of tourism objects, allowing tourists to feel the authenticity and originality of dance performances, as well as the esthetics and entertainment conveyed by dance performances.On the one hand, the authenticity and genuineness conveyed by dance performances are the core of attraction, greatly affecting tourists' true perception.Therefore, dance performance must correspond with history and tradition, and also grasp the coordination and unity of tradition and development.On the other hand, the esthetics and entertainment of dance can be better presented through the coordination of various software and hardware equipment.For example, the ethnic song and dance Charming Xiangxi combines digital technology with folk art through virtual and real performance methods such as dance beauty sets, lighting, lasers, virtual backgrounds, services, props, etc., greatly improving the expressive power and aesthetics of the play, and increasing the entertainment of the performance.
Finally, in the design of tourism dance performances, the positive role of flow experience and meaningful experience should be played.Our research results indicate that flow experience and meaningful experience play an important role in enhancing revisit intention.This requires investors and operators to realize that empowering cultural tourism with digital immersive technology is not the accumulation and accumulation of technology, but rather through technology empowerment to achieve the best flow experience.On the other hand, dance performance cannot be separated from the concern for life value and the connection to the world of life.It should not only rely on new technologies to bring diverse flow experiences to tourists, but also pay attention to the humanistic care and value transmission brought by meaningful experiences, and build a link between performance value and tourists themselves.

C. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
This study has drawn some conclusions with certain theoretical and practical value, but due to the limitations of research methods and the complexity of research problems, there are still some shortcomings that need to be further deepened in the future.Firstly, although this study confirms the mechanism of action between flow experience and meaningful experience in authenticity, esthetics, entertainment, and revisit intention.But for different types of tourists, life experiences, knowledge reserves, personality traits, and ways of thinking can have different impacts on flow experience and meaningful experience.The specific effects of these individual factors need further research.Secondly, the model of this study did not consider the moderating effects of factors such as destination image, dance performance brand reputation, and tourist cultural identity, which may affect tourists' expectations and experiences, thereby affecting the formation of revisit intentions.Therefore, the boundary conditions for the formation of loyalty in tourism dance performances still need further exploration.Finally, the sample selected for this study is only from cultural tourists in China, and in future research, it can be expanded to samples from other countries and cultures to further verify the validity of the conclusion.

FIGURE 1 .
FIGURE 1. Night banquet in palace of tang dynasty combined with 3D, AR, and 5G technologies.

TABLE 1 .
Scale and its reliability and validity analysis.

TABLE 2 .
Results of the direct effect analysis.

TABLE 3 .
The mediation effect of flow experience.

TABLE 4 .
The mediation effect of meaningful experience.