Memorable tourist experiences in authentic Vicos, Peru

Abstract

The desire for new experiences which are truly authentic and meaningful has become an important mainstream in the tourism industry and is in line with the increasing search for authentic experiences in the present-day experience economy. The discussion about what authenticity exactly is and what it means for the tourism industry continues however. This research focussed on which concept of authenticity in tourism literature is most connected with Gilmore and Pine’s (2007) theory on the search for authenticity in the current experience economy. Especially with a view to the upcoming target market generation Y, this case study zoomed in on the memorable tourist experiences of several generation Y tourists from the Netherlands who visited the “authentic” Andean Quechua community in Vicos in Peru. The memorable tourist experiences were measured and the physical aspects of the concept of authenticity were discussed during in-depth interviews. This case study consequently measured the memorable tourist experiences of generation Y tourists in Vicos in order to determine which concept of authenticity in tourism literature is most connected with Gilmore and Pine’s (2007) theory on the search for authenticity in the current experience economy, according to the perception of generation Y tourists.