The Effect of Authenticity on Tourists’ Expenditure at Cultural Events

This research analyses the influence of perceived authenticity of Christmas Markets and their products on shopping expenditure. The quantitative analysis was conducted based on 1275 self-administered questionnaires collected among event attendees in three different Northern Italian Christmas Markets during the four weeks of advent in 2008. In order to estimate separately the determinants of the propensity of respondents to shop and how much money they are willing to spend for each kind of purchase, we have adopted a double-hurdle model. The results show that tourists are more likely to spend, and spend more, if they consider the event and the products sold authentic. The study also reveals that, among other things, length of stay, respondents’ geographical location and location of the market affect the amount of personal expenditures during the festival. Finally, some outlines for future research are suggested, and some implications for destination and event managers are briefly discussed.