Authenticity, ethics and restoration of an earthquake-modified landscape: Jiuzhaigou World Natural Heritage Site

Restoring a World Natural Heritage Site (WNHS) after a disaster to attract tourists raises multifaceted issues that concern heritage authenticity, environmental ethics, and tourists' acceptance. In the case of Jiuzhaigou post-earthquake landscape, this study analyses authenticity perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions of tourists and explores environmental ethics through three perspectives. Results reveal tourists' authenticity perception affects their attitudes and behaviors towards environmental restoration. Moreover, tourists tend to recognize and support Awe for Nature (Awe-N) more than Respect for Nature (Res-N) and significant differentiation exists among potential tourists according to their environmental ethics, demographic characteristics, and behaviors. Altogether, our work presents innovative arguments on post-disaster WNHS restoration by highlighting the complexities of heritage authenticity, environmental ethics, and tourist' dynamics.