Introduction: Purchasing handicrafts in traditional markets is more than an economic transaction; it is a cultural-sensory experience in which tourists' decision-making is influenced by mental shortcuts. However, the literature on willingness to pay has mainly focused on rational factors, and the role of cognitive biases in this context has been less explored.

Aims : The present study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the effect of four biases—anchoring, framing, halo, and social proof—on tourists' willingness to pay in the traditional markets of Horaman.

Method: This study was conducted with a sample of 220 tourists selected from the traditional markets of Horaman. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

Results: The findings showed that all four biases have a positive and significant effect on willingness to pay, among which the framing effect was the strongest predictor. Moreover, the perceived authenticity of the market space, as a mediator, strengthens the relationship between the halo effect and social proof with willingness to pay.

Conclusion: The results formulate the concept of "behavioral willingness to pay" in cultural tourism and emphasize that the seller's storytelling and the destination brand's halo determine the economic value of handicrafts more than the physical characteristics of the product. These findings offer novel approaches for marketing heritage destinations and empowering local communitie