PurposeDiscussions of authenticity in touristic experiences indicate that it is a significant area in the search for meaning. This study aims to demonstrate that the quest for authenticity in a tourist experience begins in the pre-travel period by associating it with meaning in life.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via survey from 356 people planning to participate in tourism activities. The survey included demographic questions, the meaning in life scale and the quest for authenticity (QfA) scale, designed by previous researchers.FindingsThe analysis revealed that meaning in life levels significantly explained the quest for subjective authenticity (R2 = 0.303) and objective authenticity (R2 = 0.131) in tourist experiences. The search for objective authenticity in a tourist experience significantly mediated the relationship between meaning in life and subjective authenticity.Research limitations/implicationsThe research has several limitations. Primarily, the sampling group of the research consists of Turkish tourists who are planning to participate in tourism mobilities, and mostly females volunteered to respond in the data collection process. Hence it is necessary to study potential tourists from other countries for a more generalized conclusion. Second, the authors did not specifically ask the sample group which forms of tourism they are planning to participate in, heritage and culture, fair, etc. Subsequent studies may address this distinction and the explanatory power of the independent variable may differ according to plan to participate in different forms of tourism.Practical implicationsTourism has an important place in individuals' search for meaning in life and authenticity. Because it offers an environment/setting where individuals can find answers to these searches. As a result of modernism, individuals become alienated from themselves, and their environment and the meanings they attribute to life are sometimes blurred. Some individuals experiencing this tend towards tourist mobility. This process individuals go through also includes the need for authenticity. Thus, such tourist behaviors cause the emergence of different authentic products that can meet the expectations and wishes of individuals.Social implicationsOne of the main elements that encourages people to travel is quest for authenticity, which they feel is lacking in modern life. Thus, tourists are more likely to experience meaning in life based on subjective experiences than viewed objects.Originality/valueThe study offers three novel findings: individuals seek authenticity in tourist experiences in order to find meaning in life; quest for authenticity begins in the pre-travel process; and objective authenticity is necessary to seek subjective authenticity through meaning in life. While a few studies have investigated these variables, the authenticity literature has neglected the pre-travel phase. However, this needs attention to better understand authenticity in tourism.

Transformation through travel is attracting scholarly attention due to its potential to trigger a radical transformation extending beyond the traveler's unique experience during the trip of a lifetime. As one of the most common ways of encountering the different, tourism can enable people to become aware of their hidden assumptions and make volitional decisions about them, resulting in a transformation. This study aims to understand how transformation takes place through touristic experience, based on Mezirow's learning theory. To do this, the movie The Way (Emilio Estevez, 2010), which depicts the relationship between touristic experience and the transformation of the individual in an artistically powerful manner, was utilized. To analyze the document that constitutes the data source of the research study, a narrative analysis, and a qualitative research design, was followed. The results of the narrative analysis demonstrated that the representations in the movie coincide strongly with the literature on transformation through travel. It showed that transformation begins with the traveler's questioning of self or the perceived world, and that the various difficulties experienced, encounters with the different, and going out of one's comfort zone and habits facilitate transformation through travel. It was also concluded that the authenticity of the touristic experience strengthens its transformative aspect. Thus, the study proposes that in order to strengthen the transformative aspect of the touristic experience, tourists should be offered touristic products and services that contain transformative experiences whose authenticity is preserved.

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Bireylerin çevre ile ilgili konularda, düşünceleri ve eylemleri geniş bir yelpazedeki faktörlerden etkilenmektedir. Bu çalışmada sosyal istenirliğin alt boyutları olan izlenim yönetimi ve öz aldatmanın, çevreci duyarlılık, tutum ve davranışa olan etkisi doğa tabanlı tur katılımcıları örneğinde incelenmektedir. Araştırmada veriler kolayda örnekleme tekniğine göre, Mersin'de yapılan doğa yürüyüşü turlarına katılan 325 kişiden anket aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Elde edilen verilere korelasyon ve basit doğrusal regresyon analizleri uygulanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre hem izlenim yönetimi hem de öz aldatmanın, çevresel duyarlılık, tutum ve davranış üzerinde düşük düzeyde ve anlamlı bir etkisinin olduğu bulgulanmıştır. Çevreci tutum Çevreci davranış