The traditional marketplace: serious leisure and recommending authentic travel

A key insight from this study is that object-based authenticity, rather than existential authenticity, plays a crucial role in stimulating positive visitor word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations at the Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex. This finding extends Kolar and Žabkar’s (2010) consumer-based model of authenticity by emphasizing its significance in the context of Iranian cultural tourism. The research employed partial least-squares structural equation modeling to analyze responses from 615 visitors, providing a nuanced understanding of how destinations can leverage authenticity to encourage visitor recommendations. This work advances the field's comprehension of behavioral intentions in tourism, particularly in developing Middle Eastern contexts.

Curran, R., Baxter, I. W. F., Collinson, E., Gannon, M. J., Lochrie, S., Taheri, B., Thompson, J., & Yalinay, O. (2018). The traditional marketplace: serious leisure and recommending authentic travel. The Service Industries Journal, 38(15-16), 1116–1132. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2018.1432603