Determinants of Word of Mouth Intention for a World Heritage Site: The Case of the Sun Temple in India

This study investigates the role of authenticity, self-congruity and emotional attachment in generating positive Word of Mouth (WOM) intentions in heritage tourism. The 13th-century Sun Temple of Konark (Surya Mandira), in Odisha, India, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-listed World Cultural Heritage Centre was selected as the destination for the study. A survey of residents (n = 627) and tourists (n = 473) was conducted. Statistical analyses indicate that residents and tourists are found to be different from each other in terms of their emotional attachment, existential authenticity, self-congruity, and WOM intentions. This study is one of a few that focused simultaneously on both residents and tourists, even though most of the earlier works neglected the residents’ perspective as they investigated the relationship marketing and customer-based model of authenticity.