Cultural Tourism in a Replicated Old Town: Tourists’ Views

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of replicated old towns for tourism purposes is widespread throughout China. Employing surveys, informal interviews, observations and secondary sources, this study explores tourists’ views of their experiences, including their perceptions of staged authenticity and levels of satisfaction at a newly built attraction in Yunnan, China. While some tourists hope to find objective authenticity in a simulated ethnic attraction, others look for fun and relaxation. Visitors experience mixed reactions, with greater satisfaction with the overall experience than with the specific qualities and authenticity of offerings. While some tourists are interested in accessing authentic culture, other aspects, such as enjoyment and relaxation, receive higher priority. Many visitors are concerned about over-commercialization, superficial cultural portrayals and a high concentration of tourist facilities. It is argued that increasing the level of authenticity may be a strategy to promote the overall attractiveness of the site.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural tourism
• old town
• authenticity
• tourists’ perceptions
• satisfaction
• Yunnan
• China

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Dr Geoffrey Wall for his helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies Research Grant (Western Michigan University) and the Scherer Endowment Fund (Department of Geography, Western Michigan University).