A study on the impact and implementation pathways of product innovation and private domain operations on traffic monetisation, driven by digital cultural and tourism initiatives

Against the deep integration of digital technology and cultural tourism consumption, traffic monetisation has become a core bottleneck restricting the high-quality development of the digital cultural and tourism industry. This study aims to reveal the internal transmission path and boundary conditions of how product innovation and private domain operations jointly affect traffic monetisation. Based on the 2018–2023 panel data of 31 provincial-level regions in China, this paper takes consumer behaviour and cultural intelligence as control variables and constructs a dynamic structural equation model with Bootstrap mediation and moderation tests. The results show that product innovation and private domain operations significantly boost traffic monetisation; user experience partially mediates the above relationships, and consumption upgrading positively moderates the correlation between the two core variables and user experience. Heterogeneity analysis verifies that the driving effect is far stronger in eastern China than in central and western regions. Practically, enterprises should carry out multi-dimensional product innovation and refined private domain operation layout centered on user experience, and formulate differentiated operation strategies matching regional consumption levels.