Abstract
Purpose of the study: To provide an initial analysis of the concept of authenticity at tourist events starting from a philosophical point of view, and consequently, to identify the constitutive dimensions/aspects of authenticity in the tourism and event industry.
Design/methodology/approach: An ad-hoc survey was conducted among visitors and performers during the South-Tyrolean Medieval Games in 2013.
The questionnaires were self-administrated and a total of 480 interviews -divided almost equally between visitors (253) and performers (227)- were successfully collected. The questionnaire contained both closed-ended and open questions. In specific this paper focuses on the analysis of the perception of authenticity for tourist events in general.
Findings: Although this paper is based on a quantitative survey, the open questions allowed us to combine qualitative and quantitative data. Text mining was employed to explore the definitions of authenticity given by the respondents and to draw some differences between visitors and performers.
The results of the quantitative data show that both visitors and performers consider a general event authentic when it represents local history and traditions. However, when analyzing the qualitative data it is clear that for performers the passion with which the event is created is also a fundamental component of authenticity.
Originality/value: An ample body of literature has focused on authenticity in tourism and several scholars have given their own definition of authenticity without reaching a common definition of the concept. The pillars of authenticity in tourism are mainly provided by scholars who take a philosophical approach; so far none of these studies have employed a primary data collection to investigate how authenticity is defined and perceived by tourists.
Research limitations/implications: Data were collected only at one event and the analysis is based on a convenient sample due to the characteristics of the event setting. Data should be collected at other events and across different cultures.
Practical implications: Authenticity is commonly used by destinations to attract tourists. An understanding of what is considered authentic by tourists is essential to market attractions in the correct way and to create expectations that can be met.