Guilt-Free Indulgence: How Cultural-Creative Elements Transform Visitor Experiences in Integrated Casino Resorts

Integrated resorts (IRs) increasingly embed cultural and creative elements (CCEs) to buffer the moral tension that often accompanies hedonic consumption, yet the underlying psychological mechanisms remain underexplored. Drawing on cue utilization theory and cognitive dissonance theory, this study examines how CCE-embedded extrinsic and intrinsic cues shape tourists' physical and psychological comfort, thereby facilitating cognitive reconstruction and guilt-free consumption. Survey data from 457 tourists in Macao IRs were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results support a sequential process in which both cue types enhance comfort; comfort, in turn, strengthens cognitive reconstruction; and reconstruction promotes guilt-free consumption. Self-image congruity (SIC) further moderates the cue–comfort links asymmetrically, with stronger effects at higher congruity levels. The study extends cue-based and dissonance-based perspectives by theorizing CCEs as compensatory cue systems in high-hedonism settings and offers actionable guidance for IR operators to segment and personalize CCEs offerings to enhance customer outcomes.