Living the story: a dual approach to exploring perceived authenticity and visitor motivation in heritage museums

Authors: Nath, A., Sit, K., Saha, P. and Light, D.

Journal: Journal of Heritage Tourism

eISSN: 1747-6631

ISSN: 1743-873X

DOI: 10.1080/1743873X.2025.2585857

Abstract:

Museums offer rich cultural and heritage experiences, yet little research exists on why visitors are drawn to author-inspired museums–an emergent museum type in Norway. Grounded in the literature domains of cultural heritage and museum tourism, this study explores the co-utility of perceived authenticity and visitor motivation in explaining visitor behavior. It focuses on two prominent Norwegian author-inspired museums–the Ibsen Museum and Hamsun Centre–and exit surveyed 410 individuals aged 18 or older who had physically visited either museum. This study is timely and original for several reasons: (i) it addresses the challenge of attracting visitors, (ii) it emphasizes the importance of object-based and existential dimensions in measuring perceived authenticity, (iii) it reveals the role of both reflective and recreational motives in shaping perceptions of authenticity, and (iv) it introduces a combined statistical approach using structural equation modeling (SEM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) to enhance understanding of visitor behavior. Findings suggest that author-inspired museums should prioritize existential authenticity while catering to visitors’ recreational motivations in their engagement strategies.

Source: Scopus