In the Eyes of the Beholder: The Effect of the Perceived Authenticity of Sanfang Qixiang in Fuzhou, China, among Locals and Domestic Tourists

Gyehee Lee, Xiao Lin, Yunseon Choe and Wenya Li
Additional contact information
Gyehee Lee: Department of Tourism, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
Xiao Lin: Department of Tourism, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
Yunseon Choe: School of Community Resources and Development, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
Wenya Li: School of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creation, Sanming University, 25, Jingdong Road, Sanming 365004, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: Many historic and cultural heritage destinations have faced queries about authentic travel experiences and crises of commoditization related to tourism products. This study is based on the dyadic function of heritage destinations for both locals and domestic tourists: heritage as a spatial-temporal object for tourists, using authenticity as a theoretical framework. It examined the (1) effects of cultural motivations and prior knowledge on both object-based and existential authenticities, (2) effects of authenticity on destination experiences, and (3) moderating role of residential status on the relationship between authenticity and destination experience. The data were collected from 173 locals and 159 domestic tourists on site in the Sanfang Qixiang tourist district and analyzed using the SEM technique. The results indicated that cultural motivation and prior knowledge had significant effects on authenticity; however, only existential authenticity enhanced the destination experience, whereas object-based authenticity did not have an effect on the destination experience. In addition, residential status had a key moderating function in the relationship between the perception of authenticity and the destination experience. This study contributes to the literature by integrating the mutual gaze into heritage tourism literature and emphasizing the importance of a balance between authenticity and commoditization in heritage destination development in Asia. The findings hold some practical implications for the development of balanced management strategies to minimize potential conflicts and maximize user satisfaction with heritage tourism.

Keywords: authenticity; commoditization; mutual gaze; locals and tourists; heritage tourism; cultural motivation; prior knowledge; tourist experience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/22/12353/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/22/12353/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12353-:d:675068

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().