Alienation and authenticity in intangible cultural heritage tourism

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has the potential to enhance tourism supply and activate tourism resources. This study constructs an alienation and host authenticity model to analyze the attitudes of ICH performers towards support for tourism. Specifically, it investigates the views of giant puppet show performers at the Mount E'mei Scenic Area in China, which is a nationally recognized and first-selected representative traditional drama project of ICH. By employing an asymmetric configuration modeling approach within qualitative comparative analysis, the study identifies six dimensions of ICH performers' alienation (powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, self-estrangement, and cultural alienation) and three aspects of their host authenticity (personal value, interpersonal value, and ICH value). Based on these findings, the study confirms the impact of ICH performers' alienation, host authenticity, and demographic characteristics on their support for tourism. This understanding is crucial for the development, growth, and continuity of a tourist destination. Specifically, this study contributes to a new comprehension of the combined model of alienation and host authenticity, as well as the support for tourism by a host community as represented by ICH performers, thereby making a significant contribution to the understanding of the impact of ICH.