The Authenticity of Heritage Sites, Tourists’ Quest for Existential Authenticity, and Destination Loyalty

作者：Xiaoli Yi, Vera Shanshan Lin, Wenmin Jin, Qiuju Luo · 发表于：Journal of Travel Research · 年份：2016 · DOI：10.1177/0047287516675061 · 被引用次数：200 · 研究领域：Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research、Religious Tourism and Spaces、Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management

The aim of this study was to empirically explore existential authenticity from the perspectives of visitors. Given that existentialism invites people to examine the authenticity of their personal lives and their society, an attempt was made in this study to examine the authenticity of visitors’ personal lives and their environments by conducting an empirical study concerning the Kaiping watchtowers site, a well-known Chinese heritage site. Two dimensions of existential authenticity were examined: intrapersonal and interpersonal authenticity. The results reveal that the authenticity of toured heritage sites and environments may be irrelevant to existential authenticity and that intrapersonal authenticity exerts a substantial influence on destination loyalty. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.