Perceived Authenticity and Experience Quality in Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism: The Case of Kunqu Opera in China

Wenwen Lu,Li Zhang,Yongjun Su,Jie Zhao,Sitan Su

doi:10.3390/su14052940

Abstract

In the era of the experience economy, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is now much a richer in terms of authenticity, which largely enriches the tourist experience. This study aims to apply authenticity theory to the field of intangible cultural heritage tourism (ICHT) and to analyze the relationship between the dual dimensions of tourists’ perceived authenticity (constructivism and existentialism) and experience quality and satisfaction. A total of 302 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling through a survey of Kunqu Opera, a World ICH in China. The results of this study confirm that the dual dimensions of authenticity (constructive and existential) have significantly different effects on experience quality and satisfaction. Furthermore, with regard to the mediating effect of experience quality, experience quality plays a partially mediating role between existential authenticity and satisfaction. However, constructive authenticity is a positive influence on satisfaction through existential authenticity and experience quality. This article is concluded with a discussion on the theoretical and managerial implications.

Highlights

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a traditional cultural expression that has been formed, developed and passed on by generations of people in the course of human historical practices
To achieve the research objectives, this study proposes a research model to validate the relationship between authenticity, experience quality and tourist satisfaction, and more importantly, the structural model constructed in this study starts with a dual perspective of perceived authenticity to achieve a better understanding of the authenticity of ICH
Our study finds that only existential authenticity was able to significantly influence tourist satisfaction, and this effect of constructive authenticity was not significant

Summary

Introduction

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a traditional cultural expression that has been formed, developed and passed on by generations of people in the course of human historical practices. It is rich in content and takes a wide range of forms, including: (1) oral traditions and expressions; (2) performing arts; (3) social practices, rituals, festivals and celebrations; (4) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and (5) traditional handicrafts. In the era of the experience economy, ICH is rapidly becoming an important resource for cultural heritage tourism as it has a unique selling point [3,4]. ICH is an important part of human civilization [5] and carries the memory of history.

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Conclusion