Performance and visitors’ perception of authenticity in eco-cultural tourism

Abstract

With the increasing commodification of cultural heritage induced by tourism development, the perception of a 'real' travel experience often depends on what is defined as authentic, original and local. Visitors are becoming increasingly concerned about the authenticity of eco-cultural tourism practices when they visit culturally and environmentally remote regions. The purpose of this study is to examine the role performance plays in visitors' perception of authenticity of eco-cultural tourism experiences. Various theoretical foundations and aspects of visitors' perceptions of authenticity in cultural heritage tourism are considered. A grounded theory approach based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with several categories of visitors including 25 clients from two eco-tours in South and Central Kazakhstan and 29 Free Independent Travellers (FITs) was adopted to identify visitors' perception of authenticity of various aspects of their tourism experiences and the attributes of the visitors' performative aspects of their travels. Results reveal that the performative aspects contributing to the perceived authenticity of the visitors' eco-cultural experiences are spontaneous, existential and reciprocal relationships with their hosts in intimate tourism encounters. The findings contribute to literature regarding authenticity and cultural heritage tourism by exploring new directions in which to apply the concept of authenticity in eco-cultural tourism experiences and by theorising the link between performance-based touristic space and the perception of authenticity. This space becomes a basis for interaction and social exchange within the host-guest relationship.

Managing the Planning and Development of Authentic Eco-Cultural Tourism in Kazakhstan

“…How local communities manage to engage in creative exchanges with visitors and understand tourists' expectations is key to a successful and authentically perceived tourism experience. In the Kazakhstani context, Tiberghien, Bremner and Milne (2017) argue that the performative aspects contributing to augmenting the perceived authenticity of the visitors' eco-cultural experiences are spontaneous, existential and reciprocal relationships with their hosts in intimate tourism encounters. By wishing to witness local craft-making in the villages, visitors are aiming for an authentic tourism experience produced in performative spaces like the guest houses.…”

Food Tourism and the Use of Authenticity in Thailand

“…N. Wang (1999) introduced the concept of existential authenticity, in which authenticity evolves from how tourists interpreted the meaningfulness of their tourism experiences (see Jiang, Ramkissoon, Movondo, & Feng, 2017;H. Kim & Jamal, 2007;Steiner & Reisinger, 2006;Tiberghien, Bremner, & Milne, 2017). The distinction between authentic and inauthentic experience should be regarded as tourists' perception rather than the ability of tourism to portray objective reality (Knudsen & Waade, 2010).…”

“…In addition to this, authenticity is to be assessed in terms of the production cycle of tourism experience: the relationship between tourism developers and tourists at the destination. This suggests that, besides the tourists, the worldviews of the host community, who create and deliver tourism experiences, play an important role in shaping the authenticity of tourist experiences (Boonzaaier & Wels, 2017;Di Domenico & Lynch, 2007;Tiberghien et al, 2017;Tucker & Lynch, 2005;Zhu, 2012). In this stance, authenticity is not simply a matter of perception but also construction; in other words, authentication is a process (Cohen & Cohen, 2012;Xie, 2011).…”

Teoria ator-rede (TAR) como instrumento de pesquisa em turismo: buscando aproximações e contribuições

“…Com relação às discussões sobre a autenticidade da performatividade, aparece de forma similar àquela trabalhada no estudo clássico de MacCannell (1973), todavia com a grande diferença de que a autenticidade não é encenada unicamente como um atrativo turístico, mas é de fato incorporada por aqueles que a performam. Essa ideia de uma incorporação da 'autenticidade' aparece na formação de Dogma e na cerimônia de casamento apresentada por Zhu (2012), na postura dos donos de restaurante de Victoria Falls, os quais incorporam a 'autenticidade africana' quando elaboram seus sites e comunicações (Mkono, 2013), nas experiências autênticas dos turistas ao realizar turismo esportivo nos Alpes franceses (Lamont, 2013), no estudo sobre redes sociais e tecnologias de comunicação que auxiliam a moldar aquilo que se acredita ser autêntico (Lugosi, 2016), ou mesmo em estudos acerca da percepção da performação da autenticidade por turistas que visitam destinos ecoculturais (Tiberghien, Bremner & Milne, 2017).…”