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ABSTRACT
The dialogue on authenticity continues to evolve across different temporalities and disciplines. This editorial for the special issue summarizes contemporary progress made by scholars of heritage tourism and shares innovative corridors for deep deliberations. A broad spectrum of provocative ideas are touched upon, ranging from host–guest authentication and intangible heritage to knowledge transfer processes, authenticating heritage in fairytale settings, authenticity and anxiety in the smell of death and life, understanding the boundaries of authenticity, nostalgia, sustainability, marketing, destination competitiveness, and examining affective connotations of authenticity. Discursive insights are offered on how different authenticities are legitimized and critically deconstructed and re-constructed again in the authentication process, to underline the existence of power and authority interventions. Inspiring/innovative pathways, for future research, are also recommended.
Notes on contributor
Deepak Chhabra is an associate professor at Arizona State University in the Tourism Development and Management Division, School of Community Resources and Development (USA). She also holds the position of Senior Sustainability Scientist in the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Her research interests include socio-economic impacts of tourism, authenticity and authentication of heritage, spiritual tourism as an alternative healing mechanism, healthy body–mind systems, and smart/sustainable marketing of culture and heritage tourism.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.