Examining How Companies’ Support of Tourist Attractions Affects Visiting Intentions: The Mediating Role of Perceived Authenticity

Abstract

As public funding for the restoration of tourist attractions decreases, assistance is often sought from the private sector in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, research has yet to understand how such CSR activities impact the beneficiary, namely tourist attractions. Thus, extending past CSR literature, we explore whether differing company CSR motivations can influence a tourists' visiting intentions. The results of two experimental

Corporate sponsorship for museums in times of crisis

“…In line with the findings by Biraglia et al (2018) , participants perceived the Uffizi to have lost their authenticity more when COVID-19 was not mentioned [was mentioned] as a reason to seek external funding (F(1,354) = 12.28, p = 0.001). Similarly, the museum was considered less authentic when a large company [SMEs] were involved as a sponsor (F(1,354) = 5.41, p = 0.021).…”

“…Our results contribute to existing theory regarding tourist reactions towards corporate sponsorship for museums ( Biraglia et al, 2018 ) by identifying two additional boundary conditions—crisis salience and sponsor size. In line with the predictions of He and Harris (2020) , the results of our experimental study indicate that in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, tourists may be more willing to accept corporate sponsorship of museums.…”

“…We measured participants' willingness to pay more for the exhibition (from 0 to 20 euros on top of the Uffizi's actual standard entrance fee for exhibitions). As our study aims to build on the findings of Biraglia et al (2018) in the COVID-19 crisis context, we adapted their 7-point Likert-type scales to measure visiting intentions (one item) and authenticity loss (three items; α = 0.90). Our methodological approach ensured that the participants were from the population of interest; Italian respondents can travel and visit the museum without restrictions, also incentivized by the possibility of winning the free entry.…”

“…However, anecdotal evidence suggests that corporate sponsorship may not always be well received by potential visitors, due to environmental, social and ethical concerns ( Cundy & Raval, 2019 ). Prior research demonstrates that corporate sponsorship may negatively affect the authenticity of museums and ultimately reduce visiting intentions ( Biraglia, Gerrath, & Usrey, 2018 ). We define museum authenticity as the expectations that visitors have about the genuineness of a museum's actions regarding its values on which it was founded.…”

“…Building on this, we aim to examine what impact the current COVID-19 health crisis may have on the authenticity perceptions of tourists regarding corporate sponsorship. Corporate sponsorship as a form of CSR activity is often met with skepticism (e.g., Alhouti, Johnson, & Holloway, 2016 )—especially in the context of museums which are expected to be an authentic place of knowledge and cultural exchange without commercial focus ( Biraglia et al, 2018 ). However, the COVID-19 crisis may increase the need for more authentic CSR activities which are not only accepted but also expected by consumers ( He & Harris, 2020 ).…”