Understanding augmented reality marketing in world cultural heritage site, the lens of authenticity perspective

With the development of the AR tourism experience, destination managers are starting to pay attention to the essential role of AR in tourism marketing, while at the same time, tourists’ demand for authenticity in AR is also increasing. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationships between Objective Authenticity, Constructive Authenticity and Existential Authenticity and their impact on tourist experience and behavioral intention during AR-based World Cultural Heritage site tourism experience. Results indicated that Constructive and Existential Authenticity positively predicted tourist satisfaction, and hence tourist intention to visit. However, Objective Authenticity has no significant impact on tourist satisfaction in the AR tourism experience. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented.