Authenticity, involvement, and nostalgia: Understanding visitor satisfaction with an adaptive reuse heritage site in urban China

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of perceived authenticity, involvement, and nostalgic experience on visitor satisfaction with an adaptive reuse urban heritage site, Foshan Lingnan Tiandi in Guangdong province, southern China. Data were collected through an on-site survey and analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach. The results showed that perceived authenticity had a significant positive impact on nostalgia, which was found to have a significant positive effect on satisfaction. However, perceived authenticity had no significant direct impact on visitor satisfaction; nor did it exert a significant indirect impact on visitor satisfaction through nostalgia. Involvement was the strongest predictor of satisfaction, while nostalgia partially mediated the relationship between involvement and satisfaction. This study suggests that the formation of visitor satisfaction at reuse heritage sites differs somewhat from that in general heritage tourism, where authenticity plays a pivotal role.