Perceived Authenticity and Place Attachment among Mountain Tourists: A Case Study Exploration in the Gaoligong Mountain in Southwest China

In the context of the embodiment and humanistic turn in tourism research, exploring new pathways for mountain tourism development from the perspective of the relationship between tourists' perceived authenticity (PAY) and place attachment (PAT) is of great significance. This approach aims to strengthen the emotional connection between mountain tourism and target tourist groups, improving the quality of the mountain tourism experience. This study defines the relationship between PAY and PAT among mountain tourists, clarifies their measurement dimensions, and constructs a research model for PAY and PAT in mountain tourism. Taking Gaoligong Mountain as a case study site, it collected 297 valid responses through a questionnaire survey. Seven research hypotheses were tested by the using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that: (1) The results of the reliability and validity revealed that the division of PAY are objective authenticity (OA) and existential authenticity (EA), and PAT are place dependence (PD) and place identity (PI), corresponding to the particular scenario of mountain tourists; (2) OA significantly enhances both PD and PI, and PD positively influences PI; (3) Analyses of Mediating Effects reveal that neither OA nor EA affects PI through PD; (4) EA significantly affected PI but not PD. The research results reveal the underlying mechanisms and dynamics between the dimensions of PAY and PAT among mountain tourists. Therefore, this study suggests that local governments and business enterprises should strengthen the emotional connection between mountain tourism and tourists by focusing on five key areas: enhancing PAY, aiming at target segments, promoting PI, understanding tourist needs, and improving policies and planning. These efforts will contribute to the sustainable and high-quality development of mountain tourism.