Research on the Effect of Authenticity on Revisit Intention in Heritage Tourism

Gefen Zhou; Wenkuan Chen; Yuting Wu

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883380

Research on the Effect of Authenticity on Revisit Intention in Heritage Tourism

Front Psychol. 2022 May 30:13:883380. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883380. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Gefen Zhou¹, Wenkuan Chen², Yuting Wu¹

Affiliations

¹ Business and Tourism School, Sichuan Agricultural University, Dujiangyan, China.
² College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

The authenticity of heritage tourism is an important factor for attracting tourists. Research has shown that authenticity is related to revisit intention. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of heritage tourism authenticity on revisit intention. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, we constructed a model of the mechanism underlying this relationship. Questionnaires were distributed at one world heritage site (the Dujiangyan irrigation system) in China, and data from 596 valid cases were collected. Using structural equation modeling, the results showed that authenticity, directly and indirectly, affects tourists' revisit intention via memorable tourism experiences and place attachment. The current paper enriches existing literature on the relationship between authenticity and revisit intention and provides a theoretical basis for promoting authenticity and revisit intention in heritage tourism.

Keywords: existential authenticity; memorable tourism experience (MTE); object-based authenticity; place attachment; revisit intention.