Find peace in the fairy tale of Giethoorn - An analysis of Chinese tourists' perception of authenticity in relation to Occidentalism
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2019-07-10
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en
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Abstract
Authenticity is a much-discussed subject within tourism studies. However, it is usually
approached from a Western viewpoint. The investigation of the meaning of authenticity for
tourists in the Asian world has been lacking closer attention. Studies that have investigated the
perception of authenticity for Asian tourists, have done so in an Asian environment and by
method of surveys. Existing research implied that for Chinese tourists, the perception of
subject-related authenticity is not as dominant as that of object-related authenticity. By
analysing blogs from Chinese visitors to Giethoorn, a village in The Netherlands, this present
study shows that alongside objective and constructive authenticity, existential authenticity is
actually a big part of Chinese visitors' tourist experience. The study identifies 5 main themes
relating to their perception of authenticity: 1). "The real Netherlands"; 2). An imaginative
world; 3). Peace and nature; 4). The host as a reflection of authenticity; and 5). Other tourists.
Within the Chinese tourists' quest for authenticity in Giethoorn, Occidentalist views can be
identified, which are very similar to Orientalist views that are often projected upon the Orient.
The Occidentalist views are characterized by the projection of stylized and generalized images
of the West on Giethoorn, the projection of desires and fantasies onto the location, and the
simplification and harmonization of the local community in an effort to increase the host's
authenticity. Therefore, it can be concluded that when it comes to concepts that before belonged
to Western tourists, like the quest for authenticity and Othering of the host, Chinese tourists
should not be excluded.
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