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.

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In this study, we investigate the causal relationships between international tourism growth and regional economic expansion in China, and more importantly, disclose the factors determining the occurrence of these relationships. The empirical results reveal that 10 out of 29 regions experienced tourism-led growth (TLG) during 1978 to 2013, whereas nine regions experienced economy-driven tourism growth (EDTG). Different from the past literature, this study uses Bayesian probit models to unveil the factors influencing these different growth patterns. Our results suggest that regions with less-developed economies, larger economic sizes, and covering larger geographic areas are more likely to experience TLG, and regions with less-developed economies are more likely to experience EDTG as well. Lastly, practical implications are provided.

This paper aims to examine the demand for outbound tourism by mainland Chinese residents to 11 international destinations, and provide long-run forecasts up to the year 2020. The empirical results suggest that the income level and the cost of a stay at a tourism destination compared with that of staying at a Chinese tourism destination are two important factors that affect Chinese residents' traveling abroad. Results also show that the long-run income elasticities for all destinations range from 0.406 to 1.785, while the own price elasticities vary from −9.490 to −0.152. Based on the response patterns of tourism demand to income and price changes, five main categories of Chinese outbound tourism markets are identified. An ex ante forecasting exercise is also carried out which shows that outbound tourists from China mainly travel to Asian countries/regions during the period 2012-2020. The total number of outbound tourists is expected to reach 138.7 million by 2020.

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Authenticity, well-being, and memorability are essential to understanding tourist experience, yet little is known about the mechanism underlying these interrelated concepts. This study explores how tourists’ perceived authenticity influences memorability through their existential authenticity and well-being in the context of heritage tourism. Using data from visitors to two world heritage sites in China (West Lake and Lijiang), the effects of existential authenticity on tourists’ psychological and subjective well-being are empirically tested. Findings from cross-regional surveys reveal that existential authenticity, triggered by tourists’ perceived authenticity of local cultural heritage, is significantly associated with memorability and psychological and subjective well-being. Results further show that perceived authenticity of local cultural heritage contributes to memorability through existential authenticity and well-being. Elucidation of these conceptual relationships has theoretical and practical implications for heritage tourism studies and management.