Perceived placeness in creative tourism: Conceptualization, scale development and implications for transformative experiences

Creative place-making combines cultural heritage, spatial design, creative symbolism, and experiential affordances to cultivate distinctive destinations, yet what tourists holistically perceive in these places remains underexplored. Drawing on atmospheric aesthetics theory, this study conceptualizes perceived placeness in creative tourism as tourists' holistic perception of the environmental and atmospheric qualities that make creative tourism destinations experientially distinctive. To operationalize this construct, content analysis was used to identify its dimensions and initial items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses refined these items into a 20-item, five-dimensional scale comprising environmental qualities, historical-cultural embeddedness, creative-symbolic ambiance, restorative affordance, and emotional affordance. The nomological relevance of the scale was further established by examining its implications for transformative experiences via authenticity. Theoretically, this study positions perceived placeness as an integrative perceptual field between place-making and tourists’ psychological responses, and contextually elaborates atmospheric aesthetics theory in creative tourism. Practically, the scale provides a timely tool for evaluating and planning creative place-making efforts and curating meaningful tourist experiences.