Rethinking authenticity in the rise of extended reality technologies in tourism: a synthesis and future agenda

While authenticity is central to tourism experiences, the emergence of extended reality (XR) is reshaping how authenticity is produced, perceived, and enacted. This study synthesises how authenticity is conceptualised and operationalised in XR-enabled tourism and assesses the feasibility and applicability of different authenticity perspectives across XR environments. Drawing on 63 studies identified through systematic searches, it combines bibliometric mapping with content analysis to provide a comprehensive synthesis of XR tourism research on authenticity. Findings show a dominant emphasis on virtual reality contexts, demand-side perspectives, and subjective authenticity interpretations. Examination of adoption rationales underscores authentic XR applications’ potential to support sustainable tourism practices beyond prevailing market-oriented outcomes and demand stimulation. Recognising the interdependence between XR affordances and authenticity, the review puts together an integrative conceptual framework in which authenticity perceptions constitute the psychological mechanism linking XR affordances to downstream cognitive–affective and behavioural responses. It also proposes a typology-informed framework for interpreting authenticity in XR environments, addressing conceptual fragmentation and clarifying key nuances. Finally, the review offers a working definition of authentic XR tourism, identifies three priority research directions, and outlines theoretical and practical implications for scholars and practitioners.