What do you really want?

Abstract

In the period of last 50 years, the discussion of what authenticity really means changed from questions about realism, representation and reality in aesthetics and media studies, to “authenticity as idea” related to national identity and cultural heritage, as well as “authenticity as strategy” in marketing and place branding. Consequently, we can today define heritage tourism more narrowly as a phenomenon based on visitors’ motivations and perceptions rather than on specific site attributes. New perspectives of presentations, including the use of ICT devices are broadening the perspective of heritage tourism shifting it in to the world of virtual reality. Currently the presentation, this is the consumption of cultural heritage, is shifting from “authentic” material environments and experiences in to the hyper-realistic digital ones the differences between the capacities for consumption between different members of the society become reduced.