Quantifying Authenticity: Progress and Challenges

Abstract

The growth of quantitative studies on authenticity in the past two decades has reflected researchers’ ongoing attempts to establish a valid conceptual basis, research paradigms, and methodological approaches to measure authenticity in different tourism contexts. In the spirit of dialog, this study defends the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of quantifying authenticity. We build on the theoretical legacy of the authenticity concept and propose a framework to systematically quantify authenticity across tourism settings. In delineating the subjects and objects tied to authenticity, this framework integrates useful instruments, indicators, and scales to measure authenticity. The scope of authenticity quantification for empirical research is accordingly expanded.