Authenticity in Tourism

I have spoken a lot, whether in lectures and during services to tourist enterprises, or even in guidance for tourist destinations, about the importance of authenticity, especially for the development of tourist experiences.

Authenticity noun feminine

1. quality, condition or character of being authentic.
2. RIGHT ownership of that to which faith can be attributed; legitimacy.

The word authenticity, in its meaning, brings the idea of ​​legitimacy and originality of something. The tourist seeks this originality. He seeks what is inherent to that place. What was born there. What is, in fact, authentic.

This truthfulness - or contact with it, history, memory, and all the elements give this character of authenticity to a tourist experience.

In a world of copies (and many of them very poorly made), an original and authentic experience tends to make all the difference and when we talk about rural tourism, this becomes even more necessary and inseparable. In many destinations, certain characteristics are common to many: everyone produces grapes, everyone produces wine, everyone produces milk, many do the same type of crafts, everyone is descended from a certain nationality. Even so, it is possible to be original and authentic and, more than that, to be creative.

Even with similar stories and characteristics, each individual's touch can make all the difference. A story told, a memory brought to light, a family's gastronomic heritage presented to the tourist: everything can make the experience original and incredible. And in the most authentic way possible.

This reflection applies to attractions, tourist products, tourist events and all experiences that can be offered to tourists – and it also applies to tourist destinations.

But does this mean that new products cannot be created and that tourism can be creative?

Absolutely not! New products can also have a touch of authenticity, as long as they are not based solely on creating copies.

And this reflection, as previously stated, should be conditional for tourist destinations. How many cities, instead of valuing their roots, their identity, their characteristics (be they cultural, historical, geographical, climatic or of many other natures), try to build themselves based on copies of other destinations?

Even though there are similar characteristics, authenticity must be the main focus to be used in the construction and structuring of the destination – whether in terms of tourist identity or in the attractions to be implemented. And, as always, these principles must be explicit and present in the Municipal Tourism Plan and in the Public Tourism Policy, ensuring that the characteristics inherent to the destination are valued and that copies of other successful destinations are avoided, but which invariably become poorly made copies with no identity link to a given city or region, doomed to failure.

Why not take advantage of what is most authentic and turn it into an attraction? Authenticity is one of the main differentiators that will guarantee the intensification of the tourist flow, whether for a region, a city or a tourist enterprise.