The relevance of motivation, authenticity and destination image to explain future behavioural intention in a UNESCO World Heritage Site

• Published in: Current issues in tourism 2022-02, Vol.25 (4), p.650-673
• Main Authors: Carreira, Vivina, González-Rodríguez, M. Rosario, Díaz-Fernández, M. Carmen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Authenticity; Cognitive ability; Coimbra; Historic sites; Motivation; Multivariate statistical analysis; Prior knowledge; Tourism; tourist destination image; Tourists; tourists' visit intention; Travel; UNESCO status; World Heritage Areas; world heritage sites
• ISSN: 1368-3500; 1747-7603
• DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2021.1905617

This paper falls within the scope of heritage tourism studies, focusing particularly on one UNESCO World Heritage Site. It seeks to contribute to tourism literature by achieving a better understanding of which cognitive and affective factors are behind tourists' decisions to travel to these sites, their experiences during their visit and behavioural intention after the visit. A self-administered questionnaire focusing on the variables included in the proposed research model was given to tourists. A composite-based structural equation modelling approach was employed for the analysis. The findings revealed a significant and high correlation between travel attitude and perceived authenticity, travel motivations and destination image, and authenticity and destination image, but it goes beyond those relations by analyzing them in an integrated manner and at different stages of the visit to comprehend tourist behavioural intention after the visit. Besides the theoretical advancements with this study, the practical and managerial implications must be emphasized particularly for entities responsible for destination marketing that may be able to use the outcome of our research to work on proper promotion strategies.