Identity and authenticity in destination image construction

The aim of this paper is to establish a clear distinction between the often misused concepts of identity and authenticity as related to place and also to examine the role that both concepts play in constructing destination image. The basic hypothesis of this theoretical approach is that the concepts of identity and authenticity are fundamentally different in terms of the tourist element they are related to, from the point of view of destination image construction. Identity is a concept basically related to the tourist object and projected image. Authenticity, a more ambiguous term, is basically related to the tourist subject and perceived image. A model is built to understand both tourism identity and authenticity in a holistic conception of destination image construction.