Tourism Management 69 (2018) 356–367

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Tourism Management
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman

How experiential consumption moderates the effects of souvenir T

authenticity on behavioral intention through perceived value
Yi Fua,∗, Xiaoming Liub, Yongqiang Wangc,∗∗, Ren-Fang Chaod
a
Hainan University-Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College, Hainan University, Haikou, China
b
Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Macau, China
c
School of Tourism, Hainan University, Haikou, China
d
Department of Leisure Management, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This study investigates the relationships among souvenir authenticity, perceived value (PV) and behavioral
Souvenir authenticity intention (BI) in the context of experiential consumption. Using the customer data from the Pearl River Delta
Experiential consumption region of China, this empirical study adopts a PLS-SEM model to further examine the mediating effect of PV and
Perceived value the moderating effect of experiential consumption on the relationship between souvenir authenticity and BI. In
Behavioral intention
comparison with the non-experiential consumption setting, souvenir authenticity was found to have a greater
Chinese tourists
positive effect on the BI of tourist through PV in the experiential consumption setting. In addition, different
Moderated mediation
dimensions of authenticity and PV are emphasized during souvenir purchases in the experiential consumption.
These results deepen the understanding of souvenir authenticity and PV as well as the effects of experiential
consumption for postmodern tourists. Managerial implications are provided for practitioners.

1. Introduction and host culture (Gordon, 1986; Stewart, 1984). Souvenirs with per-
ceived authenticity can help tourists remember their sacred experience,
People purchase souvenirs as mementos of their experiences at a including the host culture, the place and the time. Souvenir authenticity
particular place they have visited. A common acceptable understanding may reinforce the quest for the value of sacredness in the perspective of
of souvenirs is that the consumption of souvenirs is part of the tourist modernism.
experience (Gordon, 1986; Horodyski & Gândara, 2016). As an im- However, postmodernism challenges this modernism view through
portant element of the tourist experience, souvenirs represent images of breaking the boundaries of tourism, inclusive attitude, and differ-
a place visited and can strengthen identities, and trigger positive entiation reactions. Postmodernism emerged as an important revision
memories of traveling (Torabian & Arai, 2016). In terms of tourism movement of twentieth-century Western societies (D'Urso, Disegna,
culture, possessing souvenirs does not represent the acquisition of ob- Massari, & Osti, 2016; Hassan, 1987) has extended to other parts of the
jects, but rather a collection of items of personal significance derived world with the development of globalization (Featherstone, 2007;
from a host culture, memories or experiences that provide those Jameson & Miyoshi, 1998). Characterized by affirming diversity, non-
memories (Smith & Reid, 1994). Consequently, a souvenir may have a centrality, fragmentation, uncertainty, and mobility, postmodernism
different meaning for each individual tourist because “they both re- aims at reflecting, criticizing and transcending modernity (Susen,
present the destination's image and embody tourists' experiences and 2015). Therefore, postmodern tourism has been considered a general-
are therefore related to experiential consumption” (Horodyski & ized social condition (Tesfahuney & Schough, 2016) that includes both
Gândara, 2016, p. 884). de-differentiation between tourism and other social realms (e.g., guest/
Souvenirs become personally meaningful to individual tourists in “a host, non-home/home, or holidays/daily life) and differentiation
process of tangibilizing contamination through an object” (Belk, against this trend towards de-differentiation (Jansson, 2018). Since the
Wallendorf, & Sherry, 1991, p. 22). Thus, both the personal experience differentiations are driven by the tourists' individualistic desire
of a tourist and the host culture of the place visited could be tangibi- (Jansson, 2018), postmodernism changes modern tourism into in-
lized through souvenirs. To clarify, souvenirs are the objectified result dividual experience of tourists in a fragmentary way. Postmodern
of the tangibilized contamination of the sacredness of the experience tourists thus tend to leave the traditional mode of tourism such as tour

∗
Corresponding author.
∗∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] (Y. Fu), [email protected] (Y. Wang).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.06.023
Received 21 January 2018; Received in revised form 20 April 2018; Accepted 20 June 2018
Available online 27 June 2018
0261-5177/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Y. Fu et al. Tourism Management 69 (2018) 356–367

package (Andajani, 2018) and prefer small and specialized travel tourists enjoy the simulational signs of tourism in a playful, postmodern
agencies (Uriely, 1997); eco-tourism (Jansson, 2018; Poon, 1993); at- tourist manner, such as loving theme parks. On the other hand, certain
traction of nostalgia and heritage (Timothy, 2018); co-creating value postmodern tourists tend to seek out the (over) exposure of the
through user-generated content; eWOM (Electronic Word of Mouth); “others”, such as authentic objects or experiences of real places. For
lifestyle of shared economy; SoLoMo (social-local-mobile) concerned postmodern tourists, they could accept both possibilities of authenticity
(Carvalho, da Costa, & Ferreira, 2018); and more flexible and perso- seeking because of compromising nature of postmodernism (Uriely,
nalized experience (Mowforth & Munt, 2016; Poon, 1993). 1997). Postmodern authenticity therefore redirects its attention from
In fact, postmodern tourists use their senses to evaluate the material the objective authenticity to the tourists' intrapersonal and inter-
aspects of their experiences to achieve spiritual cultural cognition personal perception of their experiences. From a postmodern stance,
(which may involve aesthetics and pleasure). Meanwhile, post- tourists do not necessarily consider inauthenticity as problematic be-
modernism attaches great importance to on-site participation, multiple cause they could accept any type of authenticity including objective,
values, and individual experience (Susen, 2015). The souvenir pur- constructive, existential, customized, or performative authenticity. In
chases with experiential consumption becomes a worthy topic in the fact, the key for a postmodern tourist (Martin, 2010) to respond to
postmodern tourism. The existing studies of tourist experience authenticity is “whether the experience is what the tourist expects” (Yi,
(Belhassen, Caton, & Stewart, 2008; Brown, 2013; Cohen, 1988; Kim & Fu, Yu, & Jiang, 2018, p. 413).
Jamal, 2007; Kolar & Zabkar, 2010; MacCannell, 1973; Reisinger & Several scholars have investigated postmodern authenticity in
Steiner, 2006; Rickly-Boyd, 2012; Wang, 1999, 2007; Zhu, 2012) has tourism literature. For example, Fattah and Eddy-U (2018) indicated
been substantially discussed authenticity as a multi-faceted concept. postmodern authenticity is in line with existential authenticity in
However, souvenirs, as authentic items related to tourist experiences, shifting the focus from objective authenticity to the tourists' internal
have received little attention in the literature on tourism (Torabian & experiences. Wang (1999) asserted existential authenticity could be
Arai, 2016). As a matter of fact, previous studies have not empirically regarded as an alternative experience in tourism through a postmodern
analyzed how the personal significance of souvenirs can be improved deconstruction of the original authenticity. However, Bento (2017)
through the sanctification of their perceived authenticity. In other queried inadequacy of existential authenticity because of its theoretical
words, it is unclear how souvenir authenticity affects tourists' beha- inconsistencies and implementing issues in research. In addition, Yi
vioral intention (BI) in the context of experiential consumption of et al. (2018) found that postmodern authenticity can enhance under-
souvenir purchases. In addition, perceived values of souvenirs as standing of the subjectivity of tourist experiences. Therefore, post-
commodities (Paraskevaidis & Andriotis, 2015) could play an important modern authenticity could be considered an alternative approach.
role to influence BI. Thus, the key question to answer in this study is: Torabian and Arai (2016) further suggested that postmodern authen-
How does experiential consumption moderate the effects of authenti- ticity can be used to explore tourists' experiences to strengthen future
city on tourists' BI? To address this question, the objective of this study research of souvenir authenticity in tourism.
is to explore, empirically, the PV linkages of souvenir authenticity and
the associated mechanisms and boundary conditions. It is hypothesized 2.2. Souvenir authenticity
that souvenir authenticity is positively related to PV, which subse-
quently leads to BI with experiential consumption as a moderator. The The concept of souvenir authenticity has received increasing at-
findings fill the knowledge gap and provide insights for souvenir pro- tention from scholars and has become a key element of future tourism
viders to create meaningful experiential consumption settings, and research (Swanson, 2014). In early studies on souvenirs, authors pro-
thereby achieve customer loyalty. vided various definitions of souvenir authenticity (Cohen, 1988;
Littrell, Anderson, & Brown, 1993). In the context of physical objects,
2. Conceptual background and hypotheses authenticity is the property of being genuine and not counterfeit
(Cohen, 1988). In the context of souvenir purchases, the perception of
2.1. Authenticity in tourism research authenticity has been defined as the beliefs, ideas, and impressions of
individuals regarding the genuineness, uniqueness, workmanship, aes-
The topic of authenticity was popular “during the 1980s and 1990s thetics, utility, and cultural and historical integrity of souvenir products
and continues to drive research and debate” (Timothy & Boyd, 2006, p. and their attributes (Littrell et al., 1993). However, individuals' per-
5) in discussions on tourist experiences. The concept of authenticity was spectives on authenticity differ; they may evaluate souvenirs in dif-
borrowed by studies on tourism (Torabian & Arai, 2016) from studies ferent ways (Lin & Wang, 2012). Perhaps the most influential variable
on museums (Leite & Graburn, 2009). According to scholars for determining authenticity is the meaning that a tourist assigns to the
(Moufakkir, 2015), the authenticity of culture represents this psycho- souvenir through a process of attributing meaning to the object
logical tendency of tourists to seek that which is real for the destina- (Timothy, 2005).
tions they visit. Notably, current tourists tend to be regarded as postmodern in-
Scholars and tourists have various viewpoints regarding their per- dividuals and their concept of authenticity evolves accordingly
ceptions of authenticity. As a dynamic concept, authenticity has several (Goulding, 2000). The idea of authenticity is not relevant for many
theoretical perspectives (objective, constructive, postmodern, and ex- tourists in terms of postmodernism (Reisinger & Steiner, 2006).
istential) with various analytical focuses, from objects to experiences Therefore, from a management point of view, it could be problematic to
(Rickly-Boyd, 2012). Previous studies (Table 1) on authenticity have emphasize the analytical clarity of authenticity and attempt to in-
contributed to the field and include topics such as staged authenticity vestigate exclusively the different types of authenticity (Kolar & Zabkar,
(Cohen, 1988), commodification, culture and authenticity (Shepherd, 2010). Consequently, the assumption that the different types of au-
2002), and the authenticity of shareholders (Cole, 2007). Since Boorstin thenticity (e.g., objective authenticity and existential authenticity) are
(1964) proposed “Pseudo-Events”, many studies have recognized that independent and cannot occur simultaneously, encounters a key prac-
there are three types of authenticity: objective authenticity (Boorstin, tical challenge. As Kolar and Zabkar (2010) noted, in practice, practi-
1964; MacCannell, 1973), constructive authenticity (Bruner, 1989; tioners seek to positively affect tourist existential experiences through
Culler, 1981), and existential authenticity (Reisinger & Steiner, 2006; objects and services, mainly through the provision of authentic material
Wang, 1999). It is noteworthy that postmodernism has a new inter- items. Hence, this dilemma may be solved from the postmodernism
pretation of authenticity. In the sociological discourse of postmodern, perspective. A recent study (Shen, 2011) revealed that souvenir au-
the “other” and the “simulational” postmodern tourism are two main thenticity is a continuum determined by certain characteristics of
theoretical frameworks (Munt, 1994). On one hand, some postmodern tourists (e.g., pleasure-seeking tourists vs. serious tourists) and by the

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Table 1
The multiple perspectives of authenticity.
Conceptualization of authenticity Focus Studies

Objective authenticity Authenticity for toured objects determined by an expert (Boorstin, 1964; MacCannell, 1973)
Constructive authenticity Authenticity for symbolic projections by the socially constructed criteria (Bruner, 1989; Culler, 1981)
Postmodernism on authenticity There is no original, only simulations of a real without an original referent. Do not consider (Baudrillard, Foss, Patton, & Beitchman, 1983;
inauthenticity a problem Eco, 1986)
Existential authenticity Authenticity focusing on the state of being true to oneself (Reisinger & Steiner, 2006; Wang, 1999)
Customized authenticity The search for ‘‘home’’ leads to the production of a form of staged authenticity in tourist (Wang, 2007)
encounters
Performative authenticity The performative experience of the Authenticity emphasizing the dynamism of ‘‘becoming’’ (Zhu, 2012)
authentic through the embodied practice

type of souvenir (from a high level to a low level). This account differs demonstrate in the future. Thus, BI represents the expectations of cus-
from the traditional concept of individual authenticity standards (e.g., tomers about a particular behavior in a souvenir purchasing setting and
toured objects, settings, and services). may be considered a “likelihood to act”. In particular, a favorable BI
usually indicates the customer's conative loyalty (Chen & Chen, 2010).
2.3. Perceived value of souvenir According to Lin and Wang (2012), if factors affecting the souvenir
repurchase intentions of tourists can be adequately understood, then
Perceived value is a recognized construct in consumer behavior. The their future repurchase behaviors can be effectively predicted.
construct can help demonstrate consumer behavior, such as Zeithaml Extant literature (Bajs, 2015; Chen & Chen, 2010; Jin, Lee, & Lee,
(1988)'s classical work on service quality. In recent years, several re- 2013, 2015; Ryu, Han, & Kim, 2008) indicates that PV has a positive
searchers (Chang, F. Backman, & Chih Huang, 2014; Jamal & effect on BI, which has been confirmed in the field of tourism. For ex-
Muhammad, 2011; Lee, Phau, Hughes, Li, & Quintal, 2015; Lo & Lee, ample, by using SEM techniques, Bajs (2015) revealed a significant
2011) have indicated a composite nature of perceived value, depending effect of PV on the future intended behavior of tourists in relation to the
on the specific study context (e.g. heritage tourism, community-based tourist destination of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The second hypothesis of this
homestay visit, etc.). Marketing literature found that scarcity of pro- study is:
ducts or limited purchasing opportunities (e.g., souvenir purchases) H2. The PV of a souvenir has a direct positive effect on the BI of
were always related to an increase in perceived product value (Lin & tourists.
Wang, 2012). However, its role in souvenir purchasing behaviors has
received far less attention than in travel and tourism consumer beha- Although the concept of BI is critical for cultural consumption be-
viors (Lin & Wang, 2012). havior, the relationship between BI and authenticity has been rarely
The existing studies (Bajs, 2015; Paraskevaidis & Andriotis, 2015; studied by cultural tourism scholars. As a result, the existing knowledge
Prebensen & Xie, 2017; Sabiote-Ortiz, Frías-Jamilena, & Castañeda- of the relationship between authenticity and BI is quite limited, which
García, 2016) have discussed the conceptual rational/affective com- prevents a deep understanding of this relationship (Kolar & Zabkar,
ponents and multidimensional aspects of perceived value in the context 2010). As Kolar and Zabkar (2010) found, authenticity in the cultural
of tourism, hospitality, retailing sectors. Based on the analysis of these heritage setting is positively related to loyalty. Meanwhile, Swanson
works, the common four dimensions of perceived value were identified, (2014) mentioned that authenticity is an important characteristic of
namely functional value, emotional value, social value, and value for souvenir purchase behavior. Therefore, this study proposes that positive
money. In particular, memorial value and spiritual value were revealed souvenir authenticity will also positively influence BI. Thus, the third
as two important dimensions of the perceived value of souvenirs. hypothesis of this study is:
H3. Souvenir authenticity has a direct positive effect on the BI of
2.4. Research hypotheses tourists to purchase souvenirs.

2.4.1. Souvenir authenticity as an antecedent of customer PV

PV is considered a subjective construct that changes with different 2.4.3. Mediation role of PV
consumers and cultures and over time (Sánchez, Callarisa, Rodríguez, & In a restaurant setting, Ryu et al. (2008) analyzed the impact of the
Moliner, 2006). Typically, consumer value involves the evaluation of a perceived physical environments of restaurants on emotions and BI.
certain object by a certain subject. The subject is usually a consumer, Study results showed that in physical environments, facility aesthetics
and the object may be a product, service, resort, concert, souvenir, etc. and employees not only directly influenced BI but also affected BI
Previous studies have revealed that perceived authenticity could lead to through perceived emotional value, i.e., pleasure and arousal values.
perceived value (Chung, Kim, Lee, & Kim, 2018; Kim, Oh, Lee, & Lee, This finding was confirmed by Jang, Liu, and Namkung (2011). Simi-
2018). For example, Lin and Wang (2012) indicated that the perception larly, Sweeney, Soutar, and Johnson (1999) indicated PV was found to
of authenticity (including traditional features, local production, and be a significant mediator of willingness-to-buy in a retail environment.
utility) was an important determinant of PV, which subsequently in- Based on these research findings, the following hypothesis is proposed:
fluences souvenir-repurchasing intentions, while Lee et al. (2015) re- H4. The impact of souvenir authenticity on the BI of tourists to
vealed that object-based authenticity, existential authenticity, and purchase souvenirs is mediated by the PV of the souvenir.
perceived monetary value positively influenced overall PV and subse-
quently, satisfaction. Hence, the first hypothesis of the study is:
H1. Souvenir authenticity has a direct positive effect on the PV of a 2.4.4. Experiential consumption as a situational moderator
souvenir. The importance of experiential consumption for tourism shopping
has been addressed by numerous researchers (Dong & Siu, 2013;
Timothy, 2005; Tung & Ritchie, 2011). In terms of souvenir purchasing
2.4.2. BI as a consequence of perceptions environment, souvenirs with “on-the-spot” experiential consumption
BI involves desirable behaviors that consumers expect they will are defined as souvenirs with activities or components that tourists can

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experience and participate in at the site of the retailer. In some tourist for further quantitative instrument design.
destinations, museums or workshops, visitors can experience the sou- The questionnaire included sections about BI, authenticity, the PV
venirs through, various methods, including pottery making, tasting of souvenirs, and the demographic information of the study partici-
events, providing the mailbox mail, on-site interpretation, etc. Dong pants. Before distributing the formal questionnaires, a pilot test was
and Siu (2013) argued that experience intensification, which relates to conducted with 250 undergraduate students to examine the wording of
tourists' attempts to make their experience more touchable through the questionnaire and the meanings of the scales.
purchasing, may be an important inclination, particularly through the Fig. 2 indicates that both souvenir authenticity and PV were mea-
evolution of experiential consumption. Tung and Ritchie (2011) called sured with higher-order reflective-formative models because their di-
for the creation of memory points throughout tourists' experiences be- mensions are not conceptually interchangeable respectively. The re-
cause these memory points create numerous event-specific memories flective-formative model indicates that “the lower-order constructs are
about the location and relevant experiences that can be shared with reflectively measured constructs that “form a general concept that fully
family and friends once the tourist returns home. Many tourists per- mediates the influence on subsequent endogenous variables” (Becker,
ceive souvenir purchasing as a search for an authentic tourism experi- Klein, & Wetzels, 2012, p. 364). Therefore, the study considered three
ence (Littrell et al., 1993). Tourists could intensify their souvenir pur- dimensions formed the construct of souvenir authenticity, and each
chasing experience and render it more tangible through experiential dimension was measured using reflective indicators. Similarly, PV was
consumption, such as doing a particular physical activity or partici- separated into six dimensions, and each dimension was measured by
pating in events. Therefore, the final hypotheses of the study is pro- three reflective indicators.
posed: For souvenir authenticity, scales were based on previous studies
(Lin & Wang, 2012; Revilla & Dodd, 2003; Xie, Wu, & Hsieh, 2012) and
H5. Souvenir authenticity will have a stronger effect on the BI of
in-depth interviews. Souvenir authenticity is formed by three dimen-
tourists through its PV in the context of experiential consumption than
sions: traditional features, local production and display of authenticity.
in the context of non-experiential consumption.
Based on measurement scales for retail purchases used in prior
Fig. 1 illustrates the conceptual model proposed in this study, which studies (Kim & Park, 2017; Sánchez et al., 2006), and our findings from
describes the moderated mediation relationship among the constructs. the in-depth interviews, this study considered PV to be a higher-order
The three effects include the direct relationship between souvenir au- construct formed by six dimensions. The dimensions include memorial
thenticity and behavioral intention, the mediating effect of perceived value, emotional value, social value, spiritual value, value for money,
value, and the moderating effect of experiential consumption on the and functional value.
relationship between souvenir authenticity and behavioral intention According to several studies, BI is measured by commonly-used
through perceived value. indicators, including re-visitation, recommendation and word of mouth
(Baker & Crompton, 2000; Kolar & Zabkar, 2010; Lin & Wang, 2012).
Finally, a questionnaire using a seven-point Likert scale was used to
3. Method
gather data for each construct of the research model. All the items are
measured on seven-point Likert-type scales, anchored by “strongly
Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is
disagree” (1) and “strongly agree” (7).
commonly used to develop theories in exploratory research (Hair,
2014). The present study used PLS-SEM method to analyze quantitative
data utilizing SmartPLS software.
3.2. Sampling and data collection procedures

3.1. Instrument design and measures The data were collected in the cities of Zhuhai, Shenzhen,
Guangzhou and Longmen County, which are all located in the Pearl
The instrument design involves in-depth interviews and a review of River Delta (PRD) of South China (Fig. 3). The principal destinations
the relevant literature. To gain insights into souvenir purchases, 18 (e.g., Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Huizhou) of the PRD region
respondents were interviewed by using an interview schedule. 6 are offer their own unique culture based on amazing geographical attrac-
tourism professors, and the remaining respondents operate souvenir tions in southeastern China and on the Lingnan culture of Guangdong
businesses including soft ceramics, woodwork, pottery, travel portraits, and nearby provinces. As a well-known tourist region, it is an appro-
and local specialty. Some interesting interview responses, such as priate research site for this study. Questionnaires were distributed at
“showing the production processes of the souvenir” and “souvenirs are tourist attractions, resorts and folk museums in this region to consumers
associated with the memories of tourist experience”, contribute to who had purchased souvenirs from December 2016–June 2017. The
construct new dimensions (e.g., display authenticity, memorial value) present study selected two types of businesses related to souvenir

Fig. 1. The conceptual model.

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Fig. 2. Research model and path analysis.

Note: The detail of each indicator is shown in Appendix 1.

purchases, including businesses that sell ready-made souvenirs (Type A) sellers provided some on-site tourist experiential activities such as
and the other businesses that sell souvenirs with experiential engage- pottery making, do-it-yourself (DIY) sessions, or on-site guidance on the
ment of tourists (Type B). The travelers that purchased the Type A use of the souvenir).
souvenirs were considered the non-experiential group because these A total of 1000 questionnaires were distributed and 958 were re-
souvenirs were simple, ready-made items that could be purchased from turned. After dealing with missing data and outliers in the 958 returned
a retail location and required no tourists' engagement. Type B souvenir surveys, 792 questionnaires were deemed suitable. This sample size

Fig. 3. Location of the PRD region, China. (a) China; (b) Guangdong province; (c) the PRD region.
Source: (Zheng, Kuang, & Huang, 2016)

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Table 2 who had purchased souvenirs at the research sites. The sample of re-
Demographic profile of respondents. spondents was chosen from tourists who met the following criteria: (1)
Items Percentage had purchased a souvenir on site where the survey was distributed; (2)
were at least 18 years old).
Age Table 2 shows the results of the respondents' demographic and
18–25 24.7
traveling profiles. Among the 792 valid respondents, females accounted
26–35 25.5
36–50 27.4
for 66.5% of the sample population. 77.6% of the respondents were
51–65 13.5 18–50 years old, and all respondents were Chinese. The largest segment
65+ 8.8 of respondents (37.6%) were most likely to visit a destination with their
Gender family and children followed by friends (35.4%) and their spouse/
Male 33.5
partner (13.8%). The respondents were less likely to travel with a tour
Female 66.5
Family income per capita per month group (5.9%) or alone (6.4%).
< 2500 19.1
2500–5000 39.9 4. Results
5000–7500 24.6
7500–10000 8.2
> 10000 8.2 Appendix 1 shows descriptive statistics of items used for measure-
Education ment scales and normality test results. The results indicate that the
Less than high school 10.0 empirical data meet the assumption of normality. Actually, PLS-SEM
High school 12.5 does not require the data to be normally distributed because it is a
Junior college graduate(two years) 22.0
College graduate 52.1
nonparametric statistical method (Rigdon, 2016). However, it is crucial
Above college graduate 3.4 to “verify that the data are not too far from normal” (Hair, 2014, p. 54).
Travel party composition It is suggested by Hair (2014) two measures (i.e. skewness and kurtosis)
Alone 6.4 should be examined for achieving the requirement of data normality.
Spouse/Partner 13.8
Absolute skewness and kurtosis values of smaller than 1 are indicative
Family with children 37.6
Friends 35.4 of normal data in the PLS-SEM setting (Hair, 2014).
Tour group 5.9
Others 0.9 4.1. Evaluation of measurement models including higher-order constructs

This study estimated the parameters using both the first-order re-
meets the requirement recommended in a PLS-SEM with a 5% prob-
flective model and the second-order formative model using a path
ability of Type I error according to Hair (2014). Based on prior studies
weighting scheme. A repeated indicator approach was used to estimate
(Kim & Littrell, 2001; Littrell et al., 1994), this study used convenience
the higher-order reflective-formative model.
sampling as a non-probability sampling technique, and chose tourists
Validity and reliability are the two main criteria used for testing

Table 3
Parameter estimates (reflective) of the first-order model.
Constructs Items Loadings AVE CR

Traditional Feature TF1 This souvenir is made with traditional materials. 0.879 0.743 0.935
(TF) TF2 This souvenir has traditional designs. 0.874
TF3 This souvenir is made in a non-industrialized form. 0.851
TF4 This souvenir is made with traditional methods. 0.891
TF5 It is an original product. 0.812
Local Production LP1 This souvenir is produced only in this geographic region. 0.883 0.723 0.913
(LP) LP2 It is a memorial of the local history and society. 0.856
LP3 Local people use local materials to make it. 0.794
LP4 This souvenir is sold only in this geographic region (and it is made by local people). 0.867
Display D1 Consumers can know information about the souvenir (e.g., materials of the product). 0.904 0.810 0.928
(D) D2 Consumers can know the creator's information. 0.908
D3 The production process of the souvenir is fully demonstrated. 0.889
Memorial Value MV1 The souvenir makes it possible for me to share the memories of traveling with my family and friends. 0.916 0.811 0.928
(MV) MV2 The souvenir is representative of the local culture to arouse my memories. 0.899
MV3 The souvenir is a unique record of my travel experience. 0.886
Spiritual Value SV1 The souvenir offers me supernatural protection from bad luck. 0.886 0.713 0.882
(SV) SV2 The souvenir represents my religious faith. 0.851
SV3 As a gift, the souvenir can transfer grace and good luck to the recipients. 0.794
Functional Value FV1 This souvenir is for my collection. 0.811 0.629 0.835
(FV) FV2 I regard this souvenir as a memento of my tourist experience. 0.817
FV3 This souvenir is for utilitarian use in everyday life while being on vacation and after returning home. 0.750
Emotional Value EV1 This souvenir is one that I would enjoy. 0.913 0.849 0.944
(EV) EV2 I want to have this souvenir. 0.932
EV3 This souvenir would make me feel good. 0.919
Social Value SOV1 This souvenir would help me feel accepted. 0.929 0.856 0.947
(SOV) SOV2 This souvenir would make a good impression on other people. 0.932
SOV3 This souvenir would give its owner social approval. 0.915
Value for Money VFM1 This souvenir is reasonably priced. 0.928 0.870 0.953
(VFM) VFM2 This souvenir is worth the money. 0.934
VFM3 This souvenir is fairly priced. 0.937
Behavioral Intention BI1 I would repurchase this souvenir. 0.874 0.817 0.930
(BI) BI2 I will say positive things about this souvenir to others. 0.913
BI3 I will encourage friends and relatives to buy the souvenir. 0.924

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Table 4
Discriminant validity assessment.
First-Order Constructs BI D EV FV LP MV SOV SV TF VFM

Behavioral Intention (BI) 0.90

Display (D) 0.60 0.90
Emotional Value (EV) 0.61 0.44 0.92
Functional Value (FV) 0.68 0.60 0.77 0.79
Local Production (LP) 0.55 0.78 0.52 0.62 0.85
Memorial Value (MV) 0.55 0.47 0.74 0.73 0.57 0.90
Social Value (SOV) 0.67 0.55 0.59 0.63 0.51 0.45 0.93
Spiritual Value (SV) 0.68 0.58 0.69 0.75 0.52 0.62 0.74 0.84
Traditional Feature (TF) 0.57 0.78 0.53 0.62 0.80 0.58 0.48 0.53 0.86
Value For Money (VFM) 0.70 0.54 0.61 0.61 0.54 0.50 0.57 0.57 0.56 0.93

Note: The square roots of AVE are the diagonal elements highlighted in bold. Other elements are simple bivariate correlations between the constructs.

whether the measures for the first-order reflective model are appro- Table 6
priate. To evaluate the measures of the constructs in the research Standardized results of the structural model.
model, some parameters are estimated, including average variance Hypothesis Coefficient T Statistics Supported
extracted (AVE), composite reliability, individual indicator reliability
and discriminant validity (Hair, 2014). H1: AUT - > PV 0.702 20.365 Y
H2: PV - > BI 0.687 13.857 Y
H3: AUT - > BI 0.135 2.128 Y
4.1.1. Reliability and validity of the first-order reflective model H4: AUT - > PV - > BI (mediation) 17.214 Y
The AVE and CR values are presented for the first-order constructs H5: AUT - > PV - > BI (moderated 2.606 Y
mediation by moderator: experiential
in Table 3. These values meet the minimum requirements of 0.5 for AVE
consumption)
and 0.7 for CR (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Individual indicator reliability
is evaluated by the indicator's outer loadings, which are higher than Note: t statistics are significant at 0.05 level when the t value > 1.96.
0.70 (Hair, 2014). As Table 4 shows, discriminant validity is supported
because the square root of the AVE of each construct (BI, D, EV, LP, M, show that the coefficients of determination (R2) of BI are equal to
P, SOV, SV, TF, and UV) is greater than its highest correlation with any 0.621, which means that AUT (souvenir authenticity) and PV influence
other construct. the BI of consumers to some extent. The value of Q2 (0.4385 for the
construct cross-validated redundancy) is above 0; therefore, the model
4.1.2. Validity of the second-order formative model illustrates sufficient predictive relevance. Moreover, Table 6 shows the
For second-order constructs, several parameters were estimated, results of the hypothesis testing. All hypotheses are supported.
including indicator weights, the significance of the weights, and the
multicollinearity of the indicators. As shown in Table 5, the weights of 4.3. Mediation through PV
all the first-order constructs are over 0.1, as expected (Lohmöller,
1989). In addition, all the t-values of the indicator weights with a According to Hair (2014)'s mediator analysis procedure for PLS-
bootstrapping procedure are over 1.96, indicating that all the first-order SEM, 78.1% of AUT's effect on BI can be explained via the PV mediator.
constructs are significant at the 0.05 level. The degree of multi- Hence, H4 is supported. This mediation of PV on the relationship be-
collinearity is defined as the reciprocal of the tolerance; among the tween AUT and BI can be characterized as partial mediation because
formative dimensions, it was estimated with a variance inflation factor the VAF is larger than 20% but smaller than 80% (Hair, 2014).
(VIF). A recommended VIF value (5) was employed as the cut-off cri-
terion in the context of PLS-SEM (Hair, Sarstedt, Ringle, & Mena, 2012; 4.4. Moderated mediation
Wong, 2013).
Moderating by group membership could be a common issue for
4.2. Evaluation of structure model certain models. In this study, experiential consumption is a moderator
that indicates the situational context of purchasing a souvenir. This type
In this study, the coefficient of determination (R2 value) measures of moderation analysis (group comparisons based on experiential con-
the model's predictive accuracy, which is calculated as the squared sumption) follows the method provided by Lowry and Gaskin (2014).
correlation between the actual and predicted values of a specific en- This analysis tested whether the effect of souvenir authenticity on
dogenous construct (e.g., BI). In addition, Stone-Geisser's Q2 value, an BI, mediated by PV, is moderated by the experiential consumption
indicator of the model's predictive relevance, is examined. The results context such that the total effect of souvenir authenticity on BI is sig-
nificantly different between the experiential consumption group
Table 5 (n = 364) and the non-experiential consumption group(n = 428). The
Parameter estimates (formative) of the second-order model. results of the test (using 5000 resamples) are shown in Table 7. The
Second-order Constructs First-order Dimensions Weights VIF results indicate that the moderated mediating effect through PV is
stronger for the experiential consumption group than for the non-ex-
Authenticity TF 0.447 3.719 periential consumption group, and this difference is significant at
LP 0.343 3.457
p < 0.05.
D 0.288 3.250
Perceived Value MV 0.185 2.555
SV 0.189 3.243 5. Conclusion and discussion
FV 0.169 3.541
EV 0.218 3.226
5.1. Theoretical implications
SOV 0.218 2.515
VFM 0.221 1.853
The findings indicate experiential consumption moderates the

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Table 7
Moderating effect of experiential consumption.
Path Category Sample Size Regression Weight Standard Error (S.E.) T Statistic p-value (2-tailed)

Authenticity to BI through PV Non-experiential 428 0.5150 0.0498 2.606 0.009

Experiential 364 0.6933 0.0457

Note: t statistics are significant at 0.05 level when the t value > 1.96.

effects of souvenir authenticity on behavioral intention through per- purchasing behaviors (Lin & Wang, 2012).
ceived value of souvenir. Meanwhile, this study argues that PV plays a The present study demonstrates that PV has a strong partial med-
critical role as a mediator between souvenir authenticity and BI in the iating effect between souvenir authenticity and BI, which means that
experiential consumption setting. In addition, a hierarchical compo- PV has a vital mediating role as a mechanism affecting relationship
nents measurement method was used to identify the dimensions of re- between souvenir authenticity and BI. In addition, this variable can be
lated constructs. As descriptive statistics of demographic information manipulated by such activities as enhancing tourists' memories linked
shows the samples of this study were from independent tourists rather to the destination they visited, adjusting the pricing strategy used for
than group tourists, the results of this study therefore deepen our un- the souvenirs, and by employees who can act as cultural brokers be-
derstanding of souvenir authenticity and PV as well as the effects of tween the local culture and the visitors' cultural background. This
experiential consumption for independent tourists. The findings con- possibility suggests that if souvenir providers can show and deliver
tribute new understanding of tourism studies in several ways. authenticity to visitors, the PV of souvenirs may be enhanced, which
First, the moderating effect of experiential consumption is elabo- subsequently transforms into BI resulting in souvenir purchases. This
rated in the present study on consumer behavior of individual tourists finding is consistent with Ryu et al. (2008)'s research on the mediation
for souvenir purchases. Based on the prior studies (Martin, 2010; role of PV in the restaurant setting, and confirmed the importance of PV
Torabian & Arai, 2016; Wang, 1999), the present study identifies ex- in the souvenir setting.
periential consumption as a moderator in souvenir purchases and ef- This finding on the mediating effect of PV is meaningful for a better
fectively investigates the relationship between souvenir authenticity, understanding of consumer behavior of individual tourists for souvenir
perceived value, and behavioral intention by using the method of purchases. It explains that souvenir authenticity makes sense to in-
moderated mediation. This method is used for theory development and dividual tourists through the consideration of PV. The results are in line
goes beyond investigating the simple regression relationships between with Lin and Wang (2012)'s study on effects of authenticity perception
independent constructs and dependent constructs (Dawson, 2014), on repurchasing intention of ceramic souvenirs. Furthermore, the
which can describe the mechanism that links souvenir authenticity to mediating effect explains the importance of authenticity for the per-
BI. As predicted, the investigation of experiential consumption as a sonal significance of the souvenirs, and which can be delivered through
moderator considers the conditional effects of the indirect effects of the PV across experiential and non-experiential groups.
souvenir authenticity on BI. Although some scholars have discussed the In addition, the previous studies on perceived value in tourism and
importance of personal meaningful experience in the debate of au- retailing settings have discussed a composite nature of PV (Prebensen &
thenticity from the postmodernism stance, conceptually in qualitative Xie, 2017; Sabiote-Ortiz et al., 2016). Furthermore, the existing studies
studies (Belhassen et al., 2008; Buchmann, Moore, & Fisher, 2010) as (Paraskevaidis & Andriotis, 2015) conceptually analyzed the multi-di-
well as the empirical relationship between tourist experience and per- mensional nature of PV of souvenirs. However, a multi-dimensional
ceived value (Song, Lee, Park, Hwang, & Reisinger, 2015), experiential value of souvenirs has rarely been quantitatively investigated. The
consumption has rarely been quantitatively considered as a moderator present study used a formative approach on perceived value of souve-
in studies on consumer behavior of individual tourists' souvenir pur- nirs, and indicated further that PV could be considered as a composite
chases. Additionally, compared with souvenir shopping in the context construct, consisting of six dimensions. This is in line with the stance of
of non-experiential consumption, souvenir authenticity was found to multiple values highlighted by postmodern tourist experiences (Uriely,
have a stronger effect on BI through PV in the experiential consumption 2005). The findings indicate these dimensions of perceived value form
setting. This finding is consistent with other studies on experience in- the holistic value of souvenirs. An understanding of perceived value of
tensification in the theme park setting (Dong & Siu, 2013; Tung & souvenirs is not only for rational perspective, but also for affective
Ritchie, 2011). The results of this study also revealed that experiential value. In other words, souvenirs were found as objects with a rational
consumption could enhance BI through PV, which explains why cus- value (e.g. functional value or value for money), but with the overriding
tomers intend to purchase souvenirs in the experiential consumption psychological value (e.g. emotional value, spiritual value, social value
setting. In the postmodern view, tourist souvenirs include items used in or memorial value) as a commodity for trade at a destination.
local people's everyday life (e.g., clothing, food, etc.) and items related Third, the present study explains the influence of souvenir authen-
to local cultural and entertainment that are derived from folk art and ticity on BI in postmodern tourism. In the process of cultural transfer,
culture, including folk songs and dances, folk culture, etc.. Experiential souvenir authenticity is of great significance (Phillips & Steiner, 1999),
consumption of souvenir can show the “front stage” of culture that which is reflected in its influence on PV and BI. The findings indicate
could allow tourists to experience the folk culture from local people. As souvenir authenticity is an antecedent that directly affects the PV and
a result, experiential consumption could play a role in the protection, directly or indirectly affects the behavior intention of consumers. The
transmission and dissemination of the local culture through souvenirs. more consumers perceive souvenirs are authentic, the more they will
Second, the present study identifies the mediating effect of PV as a perceive the total value of those souvenirs, which is in line with
mediator in the relationship between souvenir authenticity and BI. Timothy (2005). Meanwhile, authenticity is not an absolute concept in
Although perceived value has become an increasingly important re- the view of postmodernist (Yi et al., 2018). On the contrary, it is re-
search focus in the marketing literature predicting consumer behavior lative because there are some differences in the authenticity between
(Byon, Zhang, & Baker, 2013; Holbrook, 1999; Zeithaml, 1988), and what visitors experience as the “stage real” and the traditional culture.
composite nature of perceived value (Chang, Backman, & Chih Huang, Postmodern tourists' searches for souvenir authenticity have changed
2014; Jamal & Muhammad, 2011; Lee et al., 2015; Lo & Lee, 2011) due to their social networks, preconceived notions, and cultural biases
depending on the tourism settings also was discussed in the past thirty (Torabian & Arai, 2016). This suggests that postmodern authenticity
years, its role as mediator has received far less attention in souvenir can be both positive and beneficial if tourists judge the souvenir

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Y. Fu et al. Tourism Management 69 (2018) 356–367

consumption to be an authentic experience based on their own ex- process of making embroidery. This will be a useful strategy that em-
periential consumption perceptions, which is consistent with Revilla bodies “displaying authenticity” by using experiential consumption in
and Dodd (2003). the settings of tourist attractions.
Fourth, six dimensions of PV of souvenir are confirmed by empirical
5.2. Practical implications for the industry data in this present study. This present study found that tourists may
seek out other dimensions beyond the functional value of a souvenir,
Important managerial considerations are suggested for practitioners while tourists still tend to be price-conscious (value for money ranked
at tourist attractions. First, there are significant differences on the au- the highest weight in all the dimensions). The findings indicated that
thenticity-PV relationship between the experiential consumption group affective values (i.e., emotional value, social value, spiritual value and
and the non-experiential consumption group. Experiential consumption memorial value) also represent important dimensions of PV. Managers
is confirmed to be associated with authenticity and PV, and has im- need to address the high statistical weight of these additional factors
portant implications for planning experiential activities for souvenir (Wong, 2013). Strategies that enhance affective values could be con-
purchases. Souvenir providers need to consider experiential strategies sidered by practitioners include: (1) Souvenir providers should consider
and activities that are likely to increase souvenir authenticity and the emotional value (Norman, 2004) of souvenirs and attach real personal
PV of tourists related to souvenir purchases. These activity offering relevance of consumers. This suggests souvenir providers could
should enhance authenticity and promote communication between strengthen tourist experiences through better emotional value of sou-
visitors and the local community culture. Visitors could misunderstand venirs. (2) To improve memorial value of souvenirs, practitioners can
souvenir authenticity through not understanding the local culture offer souvenirs as reminders of the local culture or destination. This
(Salazar, 2016; Smith, 2001; Yang, Ryan, & Lingyun, 2014). Engaging may also serve to honor the memory of those who experience the un-
in experiential consumption could help break down these barriers ique culture and destination (Swanson & Timothy, 2012). (3) Practi-
(Horodyski & Gândara, 2016). Therefore, souvenir purchases as ex- tioners should necessarily provide social value for visitors by addressing
periential consumption are recognized as an important step to im- the uniqueness of souvenirs with a particular social value. (4) Souvenirs
proving tourists' purchasing intention. It is suggested that souvenir with spiritual value will be welcomed by tourists because possessing
providers could profit through an on-site experiential community which “an object attributed with superhuman and magical powers
allows more meaningful interactions between tourists and local people (Paraskevaidis & Andriotis, 2015, p. 3, p. 3)” enhances good feelings for
(Paulauskaite, Powell, Coca-Stefaniak, & Morrison, 2017). On-site tourists. Practitioners could endow spiritual value to souvenirs with
construction of ceramic souvenir is an example in practice at the Foshan narrative stories. These strategies can greatly improve PV of a souvenir
Art Ceramic Factory, located in the PRD region. Visitors can make their through offering experiential consumption.
own ceramics with the assistance of professional workers in this au-
thentic heritage. This DIY experience at a historical site and usage of
unique local mud enhances the perception of authenticity, and thus 5.3. Limitations and directions for future research
increases the PV. Visitors believe their own hand-made ceramics are
more valuable than ready-made souvenirs. Furthermore, destinations This study has some limitations that could influence the general-
integrating online and on-site tourist communities could change the izability of the findings. First, because of time and resource constraints,
mode of souvenir purchases. For building an integrated on-line/off-line the data for this explorative study were collected at only one tourist
community, experiential consumption could be one of the most effec- region. Using a sample from only one region could limit the reliability
tive ways to engage tourists. For example, souvenirs purchased in ex- of the data analyses. Further research could examine these issues in
periential consumption setting could be delivered to visitors by online different regions. A cross-regional study in different locations may
shopping. substantially contribute to this research topic. Furthermore, this study
Second, the findings have managerial implications for souvenir investigated only Chinese visitors for testing the proposed model.
providers who have at least two ways to increase the BI of tourists re- Examining only a single culture and society (the Chinese) could limit
lated to souvenir purchasing. One method is to enhance the positive the perceptions and evaluation of the souvenir shopping experiences of
effect of souvenir authenticity on PV, and secondly, to directly increase the tourists. Second, non-probability sampling technique also could
PV, which will, in turn create positive influence on the BI of purchasing influence the generalizability of the findings. Validity can be increased
souvenirs. The very strong effect of mediation in the path from souvenir by approximating random selection and avoiding bias in sample se-
authenticity to BI suggests that PV is an important enhancer as a lection for future research. In addition, scholars should continue to
mediator linking souvenir authenticity and BI (Lin & Wang, 2012). explore the postmodern authenticity of souvenirs because this can help
Therefore, to increase the BI of tourists related to souvenir purchasing, practitioners develop souvenir products and marketing strategies to
souvenir providers could enhance souvenir authenticity and increase attract tourists. Experiential consumption association with authenticity
PV. is not a fully explored domain (Zhang, Howell, Caprariello, & Guevarra,
Third, this study further investigates the dimensions of authenticity 2014). The results suggest there is a need to consider experiential
from three aspects, i.e. traditional features, local production, and dis- consumption in behavioral studies on souvenir purchases. The re-
play, which provide a reference for enhancing souvenir authenticity. lationships among product attributes, the purchasing experience, eco-
This study reconfirms the authenticity of the tradition and locality nomic and political values of souvenir (Li & Ryan, 2018), other group
(Hough, 2011; Torabian & Arai, 2016; Trinh, Ryan, & Cave, 2014; moderators (Bynum Boley, Magnini, & Tuten, 2013) and other ante-
Zhou, Zhang, & Edelheim, 2013), and on this basis, presents an effective cedents of PV may be further studied to improve the model. Interest-
measure of the display of souvenirs. For example, Guangdong em- ingly, souvenirs could be purchased for oneself, when in fact many may
broidery, made in the PRD region, is a popular souvenir. The souvenir be purchased for friends and family as gifts. Souvenir purchase inten-
shops are encouraged to arrange master craftsmen on-site to demon- tions for self or others as gifts (Kim & Littrell, 2001) could be considered
strate the embroidery skill, and allow visitors to watch and learn the as a moderator for the future research.

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Appendix 1. Descriptive statistics and normality test results (items = 33; N = 792)

Item Description Mean Std. Skewness Kurtosis

Deviation

TF1 This souvenir is made with traditional materials. 5.04 1.234 −0.245 −0.403
TF2 This souvenir has traditional designs. 5.17 1.172 −0.278 −0.442
TF3 This souvenir is made in a non-industrialized form. 5.02 1.32 −0.302 −0.47
TF4 This souvenir is made with traditional methods. 5.11 1.271 −0.361 −0.388
TF5 It is an original product. 5.15 1.304 −0.422 −0.328
LP1 This souvenir is produced only in this geographic region. 4.9 1.483 −0.483 −0.329
LP2 It is a memorial of the local history and society. 5.2 1.338 −0.647 0.23
LP3 Local people use local materials to make it. 5.17 1.259 −0.425 −0.202
LP4 This souvenir is sold only in this geographic region (and it is made by local people). 5.03 1.452 −0.575 −0.147
D1 Consumers can know information about the souvenir (e.g., materials of the product). 4.68 1.486 −0.321 −0.526
D2 Consumers can know the creator's information. 4.79 1.446 −0.356 −0.374
D3 The production process of the souvenir is fully demonstrated. 4.84 1.459 −0.435 −0.274
MV1 The souvenir makes it possible for me to share the memories of traveling with my family and 5.64 1.175 −0.714 0.083
friends.
MV2 The souvenir is representative of the local culture to arouse my memories. 5.53 1.185 −0.575 −0.115
MV3 The souvenir is a unique record of my travel experience. 5.69 1.118 −0.624 −0.124
SV1 The souvenir offers me supernatural protection from bad luck. 5.04 1.455 −0.486 −0.244
SV2 The souvenir represents my religious faith. 4.73 1.545 −0.474 −0.263
SV3 As a gift, the souvenir can transfer grace and good luck to the recipients. 5.42 1.271 −0.772 0.471
FV1 This souvenir is for my collection. 5.32 1.33 −0.755 0.358
FV2 I regard this souvenir as a memento of my tourist experience. 5.68 1.119 −0.578 −0.433
FV3 This souvenir is for utilitarian use in everyday life while being on vacation and after returning 4.83 1.483 −0.337 −0.402
home.
EV1 This souvenir is one that I would enjoy. 5.61 1.176 −0.649 −0.008
EV2 I want to have this souvenir. 5.54 1.196 −0.654 0.254
EV3 This souvenir would make me feel good. 5.48 1.167 −0.52 −0.017
SOV1 This souvenir would help me feel accepted. 4.92 1.439 −0.561 0.063
SOV2 This souvenir would make a good impression on other people. 4.99 1.462 −0.666 0.129
SOV3 This souvenir would give its owner social approval. 4.78 1.524 −0.591 −0.039
VFM1 This souvenir is reasonably priced. 5.14 1.356 −0.512 −0.127
VFM2 This souvenir is worth the money. 5.02 1.4 −0.464 −0.22
VFM3 This souvenir is fairly priced. 4.99 1.465 −0.43 −0.444
BI1 I would repurchase this souvenir. 4.79 1.447 −0.478 −0.199
BI2 I will say positive things about this souvenir to others. 4.98 1.38 −0.468 −0.19
BI3 I will encourage friends and relatives to buy the souvenir. 4.71 1.512 −0.351 −0.536

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary data related to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.06.023.

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Yi Fu is an associate professor at Hainan University-Arizona

State University Joint International Tourism College,
Hainan University, China. He gained his PhD degree from
University of Macau. His research interests include cultural
tourism, experiential marketing, rural tourism, the influ-
ence of artificial intelligence on tourism, and tourism policy
for Hainan International Tourism Island and South China
Sea. He has a strong passion for souvenir development
based on the Chinese tradition and is initiating a research
institute on tourist souvenir in Hainan, thus conceiving, and
writing this paper.

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