Sustainable Cultural Heritage Experiences Through Spatial Augmented Reality: The Effects of Scene Interactivity on Presence, Mental Simulation, and Tourist Word-of-Mouth

The integration of digital technologies into cultural heritage tourism has created new opportunities for enhancing visitor experience while supporting sustainable heritage interpretation. Among these innovations, Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) enables non-invasive and site-sensitive storytelling. Drawing on experiential psychology, this study examines how scene interactivity in SAR-based heritage exhibitions influences tourists’ word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions, with a focus on the mediating roles of sense of presence and mental simulation. Data were collected through a survey of visitors to a multimedia Han culture exhibition at the Mawangdui heritage site between 1 March and 16 May 2025, yielding 870 valid responses, and were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that scene interactivity significantly enhances both sense of presence and mental simulation, which in turn positively affect WOM intention. Furthermore, processing fluency positively moderates the relationships between scene interactivity and the two experiential mediators, while perceived cultural authenticity strengthens the effects of scene interactivity and presence on WOM intention. This study contributes to the understanding of technology-mediated heritage experiences by identifying the psychological mechanisms through which interactive SAR environments influence tourist behavioral intentions. The findings also provide practical insights for heritage managers seeking to design engaging and culturally authentic digital experiences that support sustainable tourism development.