Visitors’ self-expansion and perceived brand authenticity in a cultural heritage tourism destination

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This paper discusses the influence of brand experience in tourism destinations on visitor behavioral intentions. The study developed and tested a conceptual model by integrating this theoretical relationship. The test involved 432 valid responses that were collected from adult visitors to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in China. The results of structural equation modeling showed that all the hypotheses are supported. Specifically, the four dimensions of cultural heritage destination brand experience (sensory, intellectual, behavioral, and affective) positively affect visitor self-expansion and perceived brand authenticity. Second, self-expansion and brand authenticity contribute to the formation of place attachment, which affects visitors’ behavioral intentions. In addition, compared with brand authenticity, self-expansion has a more substantial predictive power for place attachment. Finally, self-expansion, brand authenticity, and the mediating role of place attachment were also confirmed. These results put forward critical theories and deliver significant managerial implications for the brand marketers of cultural heritage destinations.