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Intercultural service encounters (ICSEs) often require adaptation to the customer’s culture, thereby risking a reduction in the cultural authenticity of the experience. This study aims to research the optimum level of adaptation of an ICSE needed to achieve desired authenticity perceptions for positive consumer outcomes. The study also identifies the influence of generational cohorts and cultural competencies on developing such positive consumer outcomes.

The study uses two scenario-based experiments depicting low, moderate and high levels of adaptation to an ICSE.

Consumers prefer a cultural experience with a moderate level of adaptation to achieve the highest level of satisfaction and loyalty intentions. Perceived authenticity mediates the effect of adaptation on outcomes, with the generational stage (Study 1) and cultural competencies (Study 2) further influencing the relationship.

ICSEs and consumers’ desire for such cultural experiences are increasingly becoming a part of everyday consumption. Guided by social judgment theory, this study explores how two value-adding, yet conflicting tenants of successful ICSEs, cultural authenticity and adaptation, influence positive consumer outcomes.

This study aims to assess the relationships between cultural travel motivation, two dimensions of authenticity and satisfaction of domestic tourists visiting Sirince in Turkey. Given the structure of the model, authenticity is two latent variables, indirectly affecting satisfaction.

The research takes a predictive and explanatory approach rather than theory confirmation. Partial least squares (PLS) algorithm was used to assess the multiple mediation. The data were collected from 391 domestic visitors through a self-administered questionnaire.

The research highlights that two dimensions of authenticity have a statistically mediating influences on the relationship between cultural travel motivation and satisfaction. Furthermore, while cultural travel motivation is the most important predictor of satisfaction, object-based authenticity has emerged as an antecedent variable that deserves to be given the highest importance. Finally, first time visitors and repeaters did not differ across all relationships in the model.

The fact that the data were collected only from Sirince can be considered as geographical limitations of the study. Another limitation is that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the data were obtained only from domestic tourists visiting Sirince.

The study on the multiple mediating roles of authenticity in the relationship between motivation factor alongside satisfaction revealed a variety of application opportunities, particularly for destinations attempting to position themselves as authentic. Accordingly, authenticity concept gains significance in tourism industry more often because unique experiences at the visited destinations can satisfy the individuals in search of their self-identity.

Furthermore, transformation of authentic places into tourism destinations develops cultural values in line with expectations of tourists. However, this transforms domestic cultural factors into commercial products by eroding their significance in the eye of local residents. This invites artificiality by drifting apart from originality of cultural elements. Each element serves as part of authenticity is indeed away from authentic experience even though it is regarded as an authentic experience from tourists’ perspective because it diverts from its reality. Establishing balance between tourists’ travel motivations and their expectation from authentic destination is substantially important to satisfy their sensational and sentimental expectations. In addition to the ones mentioned above, managers should take an active role in promotion and focus on sponsorship activities to highlight the authenticity of Sirince; begin reconstruction works by considering the original architecture specific to the region; and pay attention to the compatibility of the new architectural texture with the destination character. As stated in the study of Genc and Gulertekin Genc (2021), special attention should be paid to the harmony between the architectural texture and the destination feature. Finally, considering that authenticity has a mediating role between cultural travel motivation and satisfaction, authentic values should be highlighted in promotional videos.

There has been very little research into the role of the dimensions of authenticity in mediating the relationship between cultural motivation and satisfaction. Unlike previous studies on authenticity and tourism, this research attempted to examine the relationship between cultural travel motivation and satisfaction by involving two dimensions of authenticity into the model.

In the field of tourism, numerous studies have been conducted on tourists' food experiences. However, more studies are needed to comprehend tourists' dining experience in unique cuisines. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to examine the components of tourists' dining experiences related to palace cuisine foods.

In this study, a qualitative approach was adopted to capture the components of tourists' dining experiences. The online narratives of tourists (n = 911) who had experienced Ottoman palace cuisine in Istanbul were obtained from an online travel platform (TripAdvisor) and analyzed using content analysis.

Seven main components were revealed: perceived authenticity, perceived service quality, knowledge, a sense of royalty, food specialties and attributes, a memorable experience and a sense of awe.

By identifying components of the palace cuisine dining experience and their relevant importance, the findings of this study can increase service providers' knowledge and facilitate their jobs. To be able to meet the expectations of tourists experiencing the palace cuisine, service providers can improve their services by considering research results.

Results revealed that obtained six dimensions were parallel with previous studies on food experience; however, this study uncovered a previously unexplored dimension named a sense of royalty. This can be shown as the unique contribution of this study to the tourist food experience literature.

Discussions of authenticity in touristic experiences indicate that it is a significant area in the search for meaning. This study aims to demonstrate that the quest for authenticity in a tourist experience begins in the pre-travel period by associating it with meaning in life.

Data were collected via survey from 356 people planning to participate in tourism activities. The survey included demographic questions, the meaning in life scale and the quest for authenticity (QfA) scale, designed by previous researchers.

The analysis revealed that meaning in life levels significantly explained the quest for subjective authenticity (R2 = 0.303) and objective authenticity (R2 = 0.131) in tourist experiences. The search for objective authenticity in a tourist experience significantly mediated the relationship between meaning in life and subjective authenticity.

The research has several limitations. Primarily, the sampling group of the research consists of Turkish tourists who are planning to participate in tourism mobilities, and mostly females volunteered to respond in the data collection process. Hence it is necessary to study potential tourists from other countries for a more generalized conclusion. Second, the authors did not specifically ask the sample group which forms of tourism they are planning to participate in, heritage and culture, fair, etc. Subsequent studies may address this distinction and the explanatory power of the independent variable may differ according to plan to participate in different forms of tourism.

Tourism has an important place in individuals' search for meaning in life and authenticity. Because it offers an environment/setting where individuals can find answers to these searches. As a result of modernism, individuals become alienated from themselves, and their environment and the meanings they attribute to life are sometimes blurred. Some individuals experiencing this tend towards tourist mobility. This process individuals go through also includes the need for authenticity. Thus, such tourist behaviors cause the emergence of different authentic products that can meet the expectations and wishes of individuals.

One of the main elements that encourages people to travel is quest for authenticity, which they feel is lacking in modern life. Thus, tourists are more likely to experience meaning in life based on subjective experiences than viewed objects.

The study offers three novel findings: individuals seek authenticity in tourist experiences in order to find meaning in life; quest for authenticity begins in the pre-travel process; and objective authenticity is necessary to seek subjective authenticity through meaning in life. While a few studies have investigated these variables, the authenticity literature has neglected the pre-travel phase. However, this needs attention to better understand authenticity in tourism.

This study aims to examine how travellers’ non-immersive virtual heritage authenticity, sense of presence and virtual tour satisfaction stimulate their behavioural intentions (continuance and travel intention) within the stimulus–organism–response model.

A questionnaire was designed to survey Turkish travellers (n = 275) participating in a virtual tour. A structural equation modelling method was used to estimate the model and test the research hypotheses.

Research findings revealed that four out of six hypotheses were supported. Based on the study outputs, authenticity and sense of presence impact overall travellers’ satisfaction. Furthermore, satisfaction influences continuance intention and travel intention.

The study presents a pioneering effort to investigate tourists’ non-immersive virtual heritage tour experiences in a developing destination context through a theoretical framework.

This study aimed to explore how the attributes of heritage destinations become constraints on tourists' intention to revisit these destinations and to provide stakeholders with strategies to mitigate travel constraints, thereby increasing tourists' revisit intention.

A quantitative research approach was used, and data collection utilised a convenience sampling method. A total of 1,250 tourists completed self-administered, on-site surveys. To analyse the collected data effectively and to test hypotheses, multilevel analysis models were created.

Heritage-destination attributes are found to mediate the impact of perceived constraints on tourists' intention to revisit heritage destinations. Positive perceptions of heritage and cultural attractions among tourists can mitigate the adverse effects of constraints on their intentions.

This study only focused on examining the downward cross-level impact, i.e. from the macro level to the individual level. This could be beneficial for exploring an upward cross-level impact.

The findings provide strategic guidance for marketing programs to enhance the reputation of heritage destinations. By identifying and establishing attributes specific to heritage destinations that visitors perceive as the most appealing, program designers can effectively target their efforts. Additionally, the findings help stakeholders of heritage destinations develop and provide suitable heritage and cultural attractions and tourism infrastructure in line with tourists' preferences.

This study employed a multilevel approach to examine how heritage-destination attributes and related constraints on travelling on impact individuals' intentions to revisit destinations. The study considered a macro-based perspective to analyse these effects.

This study seeks to investigate and discuss the heritage experiences of both domestic and international visitors at Göbeklitepe UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye.

A qualitative research approach was adopted in the current study. TripAdvisor's comments and reviews of both domestic (n = 519) and international (n = 186) visitors regarding their visits to Göbeklitepe were collected. The data were then subjected to content analysis by MAXQDA as qualitative data analysis software. Additionally, an abductive research approach, which consisted of three stages, was implemented for data analysis.

The three aspects of visitor experiences at Göbeklitepe, including cognitive, emotional and relational experiences were found and discussed. Additionally, commonalities and differences among domestic and international visitors in terms of the heritage experience they gained from their visit to Göbeklitepe were revealed and analyzed.

Based on the findings regarding the main aspects of heritage experiences at Göbeklitepe, including cognitive, emotional and relational experiences, site managers and destination marketers can create effective marketing strategies that focus on those characteristics to attract visitors to the site. Moreover, the study can guide destination marketers to develop targeted marketing campaigns that highlight the different historical and religious significance of the site for both groups of domestic and international visitors.

First, the study affirms that Göbeklitepe is an important and impressive cultural heritage site due to its historical significance to both domestic and international visitors. It also strengthens the multifaceted nature of heritage experiences. Especially, the evidence of relational heritage experiences, including the connectedness to heritage and the sense of belonging to the visitor community, enriches the literature of heritage experience in this regard.

Through a theoretical lens of psychological ownership, this study aims to investigate how technology mindfulness may stimulate metaverse tourism users’ feelings of individual psychological ownership, aesthetic value and conversational value, which in turn fosters intention to engage in prosocial behaviors.

The study used a scenario-based survey that allowed U.S.-based participants to create their own avatars and imagine using their avatars to explore heritage sites in the metaverse. Structural equality modeling was applied for data analysis.

The results from 357 valid responses indicate that technology mindfulness arouses tourists’ individual psychological ownership, aesthetic value, conversational value and prosocial behavioral intentions. The moderating role of biospheric value orientation on willingness to donate and intention to volunteer is investigated.

The research sheds light on the significance of technology mindfulness, conversational value and psychological ownership perspectives in the metaverse, which have been previously overlooked. The authors used a scenario-based survey for mental stimulation due to current metaverse technology limitations.

The study is one of the first to explore the possibility of encouraging prosocial behaviors using metaverse-facilitated technology. The research offers guidelines to engage hospitality and tourism customers in the metaverse that can blend their virtual experiences into the real world.

This study represents one of the pioneering efforts to gain an in-depth understanding of the application of metaverse in triggering prosocial behavior toward heritage sites, explained via a technology mindfulness-driven model with a psychological ownership perspective.

This study aimed to determine the motivations of a select group of South Africans in terms of their potential engagement with cultural tourism; more specifically, the study set out to show whether these motivations influence the cultural activities that the tourists want to participate in and whether their interest in specific cultural activities determines their destination choices. Furthermore, the mediating role of activities in the relationship between cultural motivations and destination choice was also assessed.

An online panel survey collected responses from 1,530 potential cultural tourists across South Africa. Hypotheses were tested, using structural equation modelling.

The results show that tourists' motivations for cultural tourism influence their likelihood of participating in specific cultural activities. Cultural tourism is shown to be influenced by more than learning and includes entertainment, relaxation, novelty and escape dimensions. There also seems to be a difference in the activities engaged in by destination type. For example, tourists likely to take part in indigenous cultural tourism activities are more likely to do so at hedonic destinations.

This paper contributes to the understanding of cultural tourism activities, aiding destinations in attracting cultural tourists. Destinations need to develop activities that match visitor motivations, increase satisfaction and encourage visitors to return.

The paper increases the understanding of cultural tourism in South Africa and underlines the importance of communities in providing distinctive tourism activities. The study also has an important social dimension, highlighting the role of social status in cultural tourism consumption and destination selection.

Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this paper seeks to identify autonomous motivations driving nostalgia-related cultural tourism among visitors to satisfy their craving to revisit Luxor and re-root their identities. This paper looked at the nexus of destination image and past experience, as well as nostalgic visitors' revisit intention and actual behavior toward Luxor.

Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to quantitatively analyze 354 responses from Luxor's visitors, and 17 interview transcripts were narrated using MAXQDA software.

Autonomous motivations influenced revisit intentions significantly, and revisit intentions acted as a strong mediator between actual visit behavior and autonomous motivations.

Destination marketers need to create nostalgic emotional bonds with people and destinations by planning cultural events that leave visitors with unforgettable memories of these particular moments. They also need to focus more on promotional strategies, develop messages with words that have emotional meaning and highlight crucial characteristics that tourists can quickly identify when visiting a destination.

Cultural tourism has emerged as a dominant niche sector worldwide; nevertheless, nostalgia-related cultural tourism has received less attention. As a result, the primary purpose of this paper is to provide a methodological framework for nostalgia tourism promotion in Luxor, Egypt. Luxor was chosen and has been an excellent subject for this paper, which can further evoke a sense of nostalgia. Hence, this paper prioritizes cultural site preservation and promotion.