Living the Luxury Lie: How Luxury Tourism Triggers Imposter Syndrome and Drives Negative Emotions and Authenticity-Seeking

Luxury tourism is known for projecting status and prestige, largely considered a positive outcome for tourists. However, a dark side may emerge in the form of imposter syndrome, especially for aspiring luxury tourists. This research is the first tourism study examining status-related imposter thoughts (beliefs that others overestimate one’s status) and their emotional and behavioural consequences. Through four experiments across different luxury tourism settings, we find that luxury experiences trigger imposter thoughts, which link to increased authenticity-seeking, anxiety, and dejection. Effects diminish when tourists possess prior similar experiences or perceive preferential treatment as deserved. Additionally, the absence of other tourists reduces imposter-driven anxiety, while their presence amplifies it. Our contributions lie in establishing imposter thoughts as an overlooked but consequential cognition in luxury tourism for tourists, and in guiding managers toward tackling their effects through authenticity provision and practices that ensure luxury is perceived as deserved.