Investigating the role of travel motivation and perceived authenticity in traveler visitation to heritage sites

In recent years, sites with unique culture and heritage have become particularly popular tourist destinations. This study conducted an online survey with tourists who had visited the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and aimed to explore how travel motivations and perceived authenticity influence their intention to visit heritage sites. This study utilizes structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine its antecedents and employs fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to test the data. This combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical approaches uncovers the various configurations that influence visitors' intentions to visit heritage sites. The results indicate that travel motivation and perceived authenticity should be jointly considered and studied as factors predicting the intention to visit heritage sites. These substantive findings not only contribute to the literature on heritage tourism. It also provides destination marketing personnel and stakeholders with the best combination to attract potential tourists and optimize management and development of new services.