Influence of Cultural Identity on Tourists’ Authenticity Perception, Tourist Satisfaction, and Traveler Loyalty

Abstract

Intangible cultural heritage is a natural fit for tourism development due to its extensive cultural and artistic value. Authenticity is important in the development of intangible cultural heritage tourism. This case study considered Celadon Town, a classic scenic spot of intangible cultural heritage in Zhejiang Province, China, to design questionnaires and a research model involving cultural identity, authenticity perception, tourist satisfaction, and traveler loyalty. This model was used to explore the indigenous presentation of authenticity, that is, the “Traditional Firing Technique of Longquan Celadon,” and its impact on tourist satisfaction and loyalty. On the basis of the research model and hypotheses, relevant data were collected through a questionnaire survey, tested, and analyzed using a structural equation model (SEM). Findings indicate that authenticity of intangible cultural heritage has a significant positive effect on destination satisfaction and loyalty, which supplements related research on the authenticity of intangible cultural heritage destinations. This study advocates that building a characteristic town is a unique development mode of intangible cultural heritage tourism. The model integrates the cultural and tourism attributes of intangible cultural heritage. Based on this development model, the study offers related suggestions for the construction of authenticity and the realization of long-term development of tourism destinations.

Exploring the Relationship of Image Formation on Tourist Satisfaction and Loyalty: Evidence From China

“…This is because heritage tourists are more likely to be interested in destination authenticity ( Girish and Lee, 2019 ), which is the quality of being original, genuine, and traditionally made ( Nguyen and Cheung, 2016 ). It asserts whether an object is what it appears to be in reality ( Tian et al, 2020 ). Authenticity is of great importance for the competitiveness of tourism destinations, and it can be assessed in terms of the originality of services and attractions at the destination, the symbolic meanings attached to attraction, and the perceptions of visitors of what makes them authentic ( Wang, 1999 ).…”

Authenticity, Perceived Value and Loyalty in Marine Tourism Destinations: The Case of Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China

“…A second gap in this research field is the influence of authenticity on loyalty, on which there are conflicting views. Some scholars found that the object-based authenticity positively affects tourists' loyalty while existential authenticity has no significant influence [9,21]. However, other scholars suggested conflicting findings [8,15,16].…”

Chinese Destinations Related to Martial Arts Tourism from the UNESCO Perspective

“…In the paper Influence of Cultural Identity on Tourists' Authenticity, the authors summarize the result of their research with the following words: "tourists' perception of authenticity is really influenced by cultural identity in intangible cultural heritage tourism", and they add that the perception of authenticity "affects tourists' experience and behaviorexistential authenticity only affects tourists' satisfaction experience, while constructive authenticity affects tourists' satisfaction and loyalty at the same time" [59] (p. 14).…”