Assessing the economic values of World Heritage Sites and the effects of perceived authenticity on their values

Authenticity of tourism sites is expected to positively affect their economic values because tourists preferably visit sites perceived as more authentic. This study aims to examine the extent to which consumers' perceived authenticity affects economic values of the two World Heritage Sites in Korea. This study treats perceived authenticity as the negotiated concept between the essentialist and constructivist discourses. Study results show that the high authenticity group evaluated the economic benefits of heritage sites higher than the low authenticity group. The results pertain to managerial and theoretical implications that focus on the importance of authentication process in heritage tourism sites.