Experiencing Authenticity at Heritage Sporting Events

Abstract

This research examined the relationships between the perceived authenticity of a heritage sporting event, positive emotions, cross-cultural understanding, and word-of-mouth intention of international tourists. The stimulus???organism???response theory and the broaden-and-build theory informed the model. Study 1 employed an online survey with 156 international fans of Sumo to assess the reliability of the measures. In Study 2, structural equation modeling was conducted using an on-site survey of 272 international tourists attending Sumo events in Tokyo. Results showed that perceived authenticity positively influenced positive emotions, which in turn significantly affected word-of-mouth intention and cross-cultural understanding. These findings revealed the importance of perceived authenticity in shaping tourists’ experiences and cultural capital acquisition, an area not previously explored. The results highlighted the role of cognitive and psychological states in developing tourists’ cultural capital through event participation. For practitioners, this study highlighted the potential of heritage sporting events as a tourism resource, promoting traditional sports and destination marketing.