The Authenticity of Heritage Sites, Tourists’ Quest for Existential Authenticity, and Destination Loyalty
通过开平碉楼案例实证研究，发现游客的存在真实性（个人内在和人际层面）与遗产地真实性无关，但内在真实性显著影响目的地忠诚度。
The aim of this study was to empirically explore existential authenticity from the perspectives of visitors. Given that existentialism invites people to examine the authenticity of their personal lives and their society, an attempt was made in this study to examine the authenticity of visitors’ personal lives and their environments by conducting an empirical study concerning the Kaiping watchtowers site, a well-known Chinese heritage site. Two dimensions of existential authenticity were examined: intrapersonal and interpersonal authenticity. The results reveal that the authenticity of toured heritage sites and environments may be irrelevant to existential authenticity and that intrapersonal authenticity exerts a substantial influence on destination loyalty. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.